Cheney Bros. Building - Coalinga, CA - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

Located behind a fence and in front of a historical gas station is a historical marker that reads:

Cheney Bros. Building

1906 - 1983
Founders: Frank, Tom, Walter and Jonathan Guy Cheney

In 1906, Coalinga was a boom town and there was a great need for blacksmithing and transporting. So the Cheney family decided to move to Coalinga from Cheney's Grove, Illinois by way of Petaluma and Maricopa, Calif.

The Cheney Bros. started with a small building at 138 West Elm St. The business specialized in blacksmithing, a livery stable, and "teaming", That is, moving and transporting of heavy equipment. In a few months they moved to 231 W. Elm to enlarge their business. Before the year was over, the firm had expanded beyond their dreams. A Cheney Hall was included in the large main building and was rented to the Odd Fellows Lodge and Eagles for their meetings. Coalinga Elks Lodge 1613 also used the building from 1938 to 1965. At this time the Cheney's owned over 500 head of stock and employed a large payroll.

On of the most trying experiences of the firm was a trip to San Luis Obispo, hauling three oilers with three large wagons, over 60 head of horses and mules, and a number of drivers, losing wheels and loads on three different occasions.

The Cheney Bros. Building was destroyed in a devastating earthquake in 1983 which destroyed most commercial buildings downtown as well as hundreds of residential homes.

There are a couple of nice web links to some history of Coalinga. The town suffered a devastating earthquake in 1983 which razed many historical commercial buildings downtown. There are very few remnants of the history of Coalinga prior to 1900 and can only be appreciated through historical photos and interpretive displays that dot parts of town. This link will open a PDF document highlighting some historical buildings and sites to visit. You may also want to click this link to open another PDf document of a photo history of Coalinga. This town was quite a bustling place in the early 1900s. Coalinga got its start as a coal station in the late 1800s and then oil was discovered soon after and the rest is history. The photo history show many oil fields around the area in the early 1900s.

Group that erected the marker: Coalinga Lions Club Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 138 W Elm Street Coalinga, CA URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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