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California's historical site
This underground property is still owned by the Forestiere family.
This is what it said on the plaque:
"Forestiere Underground Garden
Here beneath the hot arid surface o fthe San Joaquin Valley Baldassare Forestiere (1879-1946) began in the early 1900's to sculpt a fantastic retreat excavating the hardpan by hand, he created a unique complex of underground rooms, passages and gardens which is being preserved as a living monument to a creative and individualistic spirit unbounded by conventionality.
California registered historical landmark No. 916.
Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Rick FOrestiere family, October 12, 1979."
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Entrance
Visitors are put into guided tour in small groups.
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Pricing as of May 24, 2009
The tour was about 45-60 minutes but it was well worth it just to see, to understand and to absorb a good lesson in life: how many people in this world can maintain a determination for 40 years, day after day? That was how long it took Mr Forestiere to dig and build his underground heaven, with only shovel, axe and wheelbarrow.
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Walkway to underground entrance
The weather was about 85 degree F under the sun and the temperature must drop at least 20 degree while walking under the cool green plants.
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Main entrance
There are many entrances throughout the underground garden. This is 1 of the many that started going down for more than 10 feet. It was about 85 degree F outside and it was incredibly cool underground. That was why Mr Forestiere started to dig and lived down here. Summer in Fresno can be brutal with temperature up to 120 degree F (48.8 degree C). Especially without air conditioning back then in the early 1900s'.
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Underground court yard
The underground court yard has round open-air skylight where sun light and rain make the trees and garden grown. The rooms & passages were all over 6 feet tall. Cool fresh air was circulated naturally and it was truly heaven in the hot summer days.
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Underground water well
Mr Forestiere lived down here so he had his own water well underground for cooking and shower.
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Underground passage ways...
There were something like 50 rooms connected by these passage ways. One can get lost down here.
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Different view of another underground open court yard
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Skylight
Looking up from 1 of the many open skylights underground. In the rainy seasons, Mr Forestiere put a piece of glass on top to shield the excessive water.
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Under the skylight...
he planted either tree or flowers to take advantage of the sun light and rain.
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Underground tree
The tree just grew out of the ground above and fruits can be picked just by walking on the ground.
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Fireplace
He lived down here in the winter and he had his own underground fireplace.
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Lovely natural lightings...
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House above ground
That was Mr Forestiere's above-ground house.
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Fruit tree
The fruit tree still bears fruits in the underground garden.
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Water drainage pit
He designed it such that all rain water that got in to the underground garden and exposed areas drains back to the water table (way below his underground level) through this sand pit. He built the whole underground architecture without a single plan. Everything was in his head.
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Orange tree
All fruit trees grew from the underground level to the above ground that he just walked around on the ground level to pick fruits.
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Above ground
This is how it looked like above ground where the orange tree was. The round shape opening is the skylight to gather sunlight and rain water for the garden below.
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Grape fruit and orange on the same tree
We were told that Mr Forestiere was able to graft a single tree to produce 6 different types of fruits in his days. This is 1 of the few that left still produces 2 different fruits on the same tree.
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The auto tunnel
Even though Mr Forestiere has no family of his own, he wasn't a loner. He opened up his underground garden for the public to freely visit to get away from the hot Fresno summer.
Here is a driveway into the tunnel that he built for the public to access his underground garden.
A page from The Fresno Bee, dated May 28, 1930.
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The bell tower
Here is a skylight with a bell hanging on the top. We were told that the underground garden was so vast that it was hard for guest to find Mr Forestiere in any of his 50 rooms so the guests came here to ring the bell and he would come out. Is this where the words "door bell" came from?
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Private chapel
One of the room was his private chapel where he prayed.
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Kitchen
Mr Forestiere even had an underground kitchen where he cooked his meals. Complete with several different dining rooms.
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My most favorite phrases
We can all learn from Mr Forestiere's phrases here:
"Some men see things as they are and say, why?
I dream things that never were and say why not?"
The spirit of an adventurer and explorer. Mr Forestiere, thanks!
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Underground bath tub
He ran a hose from a big water container on the ground level. This bath tub is underground
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Fish pond
Mr Forestiere ate well. Here is a water pond (now dry) that he kept. Whenever he went fishing and caught fishes, he took them home and put in this underground pond. He could just take the live fishes out of the pond and cooked them in his underground kitchen.
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Underground ball room
It's just incredible that Mr Forestiere even digged and built an underground ball room but he didn't finish before he passed away. His brother completed the roof and the floor.
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Above ground
The round shape openings are the skylights and the trees are growing out of some of them.
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The End - A salute
Witnessing Mr Forestiere's works was truly an eye opening lesson about a man's determination on his goal and his accomplishments to realize that goal. A goal and journey where he single-handedly completed over a course of 40 years, with the simplest hand tools and under the most adverse weather. Mr Forestiere, I salute you.