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 Forrestiere Underground Gardens - SHL No. 916
N 36° 48.485 W 119° 52.836
11S E 243022 N 4077454
Fresno's best kept secret - an arboretum underground
Waymark Code: WM3ZR8
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 06/13/2008
Views: 68
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As far as we know this is California's only Historical Marker located underground.
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Sicilian immigrant Baldassare Forestiere (1879-1946) came to California in 1905 and bought a parcel of land upon which he intended to grow trees and vines. Unfortunately, Baldassare's dreams were dashed when he discovered that his land was a solid plate of hardpan rock, utterly useless for agriculture.
Undaunted and inspired by images he saw in his mind's eye, Baldassare began to dig down through the hardpan. |
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Over the course of forty years, using only a shovel and a wheel barrel, Baldassare single handedly carved out a network of nearly 100 rooms, grottos, and passageways covering almost ten acres.
To demonstrate how truly amazing this place is, we created two waymarks, showing Baldassare Forrestiere's Underground Living Quarters,
and his Underground Gardens.
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Marker Text:
Here, beneath the hot, arid surface of the San Joaquin Valley, Baldasare Forestiere (1879-1946) began in the early 1900s to sculpt a fantastic retreat. Excavating the hardpan by hand, he created a unique complex of underground rooms, passages, and gardens which rambled throughout a ten-acre parcel. His work is being preserved as a living monument to a creative and individualistic spirit unbounded by conventionality.
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Marker Number: 916.00
Marker Name: Forrestiere Underground Gardens
County: Fresno
Has Official CA Plaque: yes
Marker Dedication Date: 10/12/1979
Location:
5021 W Shaw Ave, Fresno
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Feel free to post a picture of you at the landmark site, but a photo is not required to log a visit.
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