I was a gunslinger in the Ghost Town and an actor in the Palace. It was a decade that changed my life and I'm so heartbroken that it's gone. Thank you for this great docu-series. You did a good job.
TY so much for your service!!! I remember the stagecoach being held up and it was quite an experience, Lol. And the shootout in the street. I sure miss that place :(
Sadly, you mentioned that families "use to" enjoy activities together such as Pollardville. There were so many more places a family could have experienced together in the Stockton area, but are now in the past memories of those who knew them. Here are a few examples: Pollardville, Hammer Skate, Manteca Water Park, Water Slides and Miniature Golf on Hammer and West Lane, Naughty Nicks, and a slew of movie theaters razed by the bulldozer. All gone in a very short twenty years.
I was born and raised in Lodi and I have been there several times. The last time was when I was in college in 1982. You sat in the theater that was set up with tables and you ate chicken while you cheered the hero and hissed at the villain. It was so much good, wholesome, delicious, kitschy fun. Man, this video made me so nostalgic for those times. Not much out there in the US that's like it anymore. A piece of lost Americana. Thanks for doing this video. It made my day.
Thanks Bob. I grew up in Modesto in the 1960s and sure miss life back then, when things were slower, less sophisticated, less pressured and more wholesome so you and I are on the same page! Just like you, I wish Pollardville was still around! Knowing that this video made your day is very nice to hear. Quite frankly your reaction is why I do these videos because Lord knows they are costing me time, money and narration costs. But I sure love making them! More areaon the way. I am finishing up another video and have lots more in the conceptual stage. So I would love for you to tap into the future episodes by subscribing to my channel! I would be greatly honored! Thanks again, Bob.
@@jbenziggy And I do appreciate you doing them. I just ran into this video by accident from a posting on Facebook...and you better believe I subscribed. ;) In fact, I just paused the video you did on A&W root beer. If I remember correctly, since they started in 1919 that makes them the oldest still-operating fast food restaurant in the US. While their presence is waning here in America they are ALL OVER Canada. Not quite as ubiquitous as Subway or Starbucks but you don't have to travel far to find one. I still hit the one in Renton, WA occasionally since I really like their hamburgers. And the root beer you get at their restaurant is an order of magnitude better than the stuff you buy at the store.
I was raised in Lodi and passed by all the time on highway 99 never went through. I did by get to go to a vaudeville show in 2004 in central California around Santa Maria, don't know exactly where I didn't drive and it was a hoot, if I hadn't been taking a drama course I would never have gone👍 also went to a live theater in Solvang California, almost fell asleep at that one though.
@@bobholt5081 I also worked at the A&w on Lodi avenue, I don't remember the recipe but the root beer is/ was made in-house. I got in trouble for wearing a tank top to work, even though my girlfriend was wearing a tank top at work, the owner said it was because I had hairy arms and so I shaved them. I think I ended up quitting or got fired over it!
I remember that place when I was younger, back in the 90’s. My family were big Japanese farmers and we farmed land around that area. My cousin Wayne took me to the Chicken Kitchen to grab lunch for me, my older cousin Wayne, and my Uncle Jimmy. I miss those days. Thank you for the memories
Boy oh boy! I grew up visiting this place. I remember the highlight of the year was a "chicken festival" and you got to see these beautiful Banti hens dance in the middle of Main Street. The summer of 1993 during the Chicken Festival at the age of 15 I performed a country song acapella. It was my first experience on stage. And then the summer of 1995 I worked at a store during the Chicken Festival. What a blast to see these photos and hear the history. Thank you it was nice to remember.
Joanna Landingham I’m sorry to hear that. My parents are getting up in age. I hope you liked my little video and I hope you subscribe to my channel! Thanks for reaching out!
So glad you made notice of this old landmark! As I recall, the Pollard's claim to fame with their chicken dinners was they had developed a new way of butchering the whole chickens so you could have a quarter-chicken meal. Hard to believe that to be revolutionary today. In the early 1980s, I apprenticed with Fresno mechanical music restorer Hayes McClaran. We restored nickelodeons, player pianos, orchestrions, and carousel organs. McClaran told me that after the ghost town closed in the 1970s, the Pollards held an auction to sell off the mechanical music items. He said these auction lots were the leavings of the Wisnett collection that I know nothing of. Your video includes a black and white photo of a European street organ that I had never seen before. McClaran acquired that from the auction. It is a Gasparini 47-key organ that had been converted from a pinned wooden barrel to key punched book music. I don't know where it resides now after McClaran's death. About 1983, McClaran made a deal with Neal Pollard to purchase any of the mechanical music parts or gambling items than remained in the warehouses behind the Palace Dinner Theater. These warehouses looked like they had been moved in also and could have been those that would front railroad sidings. The buildings were in bad shape with everything scattered about, dirty, covered in mud, etc. We took a Ryder truck full of parts and items out of there. After loaded up, we walked forward in the building through the Palace Theater. The dressing rooms were full of flouncy saloon girl dresses and other costumes to the point it was hard to walk through, and I thought this was a real fire trap. No problem..... they had water faucets and red-painted fire buckets hanging throughout that section. You' play heck to get out of there if a fire started, but they were still operating the Palace two nights a week! Instead, the chicken restaurant burned to the ground the following year. Neil found that Polynesian-styled restaurant building in Stockton and had it moved onto the property to rebuild the chicken restaurant. Glad the jail got back to Jamestown and your video capturing that.
Wow , I had no idea ,.. 5hats righ5 , they sod the chicken that way and not in pieces , i never realized til noww that it was different from most chicken places at the time
I can remember going there when I was 4 or 5 years old with my grandfather. Those times were glorious! I can also remember the honor of working there as a young adult in the "Showboat," and in the street performing gunfights in the later years; shortly before it closed. Your historical endeavor, good sir, is well done in my opinion. I enjoyed the trip into the/my past, even though it did bring a tear to my eye. Bravo!
@@kirkmacarthur8003 Well, its been a year since I watched the video but I don't recall seeing myself in it. As for the chicken, I couldn't say because I never had a chicken dinner at Knott's Berry Farm. ✌🏼
I was a pimply faced teen in 1970 when I went to Pollardville for a "Battle of the Bands" for all the garage bands in the area. Most pounded out bad renditions of Born to be Wild.
Wow - VERY well done! I grew up about a quarter mile away in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, and came from a lower middle-class family. That’s important because it was a real treat when my parents would take us there for dinner. The chicken was the best chicken on the planet, and they served a salad as a side dish that was equally great. We would spend afternoons in the ghost town - - it seemed like Sheriff John was always in a gunfight. A nice man, but he always had a mean look on his face that made him scary as hell. I always had a lot of fun when we would go to the shows inside the riverboat, and in the early ‘80’s I lived next door to a couple that were actors in the shows...they were fun as hell and occasionally invited me to a show, then backstage where they all knew how to party! Thanks for taking me down memory lane!
Such a big part of my childhood. When I was just a kid my parents took me there every six months to see the shows at the Palace, until I was finally old enough to be onstage myself, just before my 16th birthday. I lost track how many shows I actually did...best times of my life, made lifelong friendships with many wonderful people. Closed the last show on that stage on Oct. 30, 1992 a few months pregnant with my now 26 year old daughter. There will never be another Palace Showboat Dinner Theater, or Pollardville.
Melinda Edens I regret not having truly experiencing the Park but in a sense I was able to relive its glory in doing this video. Thank you for watching! I’d love to have you subscribe to our channel!
Thanks for doing this. My wife and I took the very last ride on the Chicken Kitchen Railroad. We still have our tickets! The train had a motor from a Chevy Corvair and was honestly geared a bit too fast. It took a lot of clutch slipping to get it rolling. Along the north side of the Steamboat building between it and the property line fence was a long lean-to where the train spent its time when not running. The Steamboat actually had a basement, and for many years in the 70's, there was a huge HO gage model railroad layout in there. They had an open house one year and the Stockton Record newspaper did a story. My picture, taken while watching a train go by, appeared in the story. The train tracks went over the pond and to the back of the property line, near the KWIN FM broadcast tower that used to be back there. In 2007, a new tower for KWIN was built on the other side of Eight Mile Road, and the old 340 foot tower behind Pollardville was unceremoniously cut down and allowed to fall. I have video of that if you wish. That tower coming down, and the resulting loss of income from the radio station renting that ground for the tower for decades happened because the land was to be sold to a housing developer who had plans to build expensive homes on the Pollardville site. Then, after the land was cleared, the "great recession" of 2008 happened. The plans for homes to be built where Pollardville once stood were cancelled, and the land remains in limbo as you see now. It's a real shame.
Great details! Since I did this video I believe they are proceeding with building homes. At least it looked that way last time we flew down the highway at 75 mph! Thanks for sharing things I didn’t know about! Sad it is but a memory now!
I bet you have a lot of great memories and photos! Thanks for watching and for your positive feedback! We'd love to have you as a subscriber if you want to see coming episodes! Thanks!
Went here dozens of times with family as a child, then with my own children as an adult. Always has a great time, the decor had alot of history, you could eat in a covered wagon or a jail cell, and the catfish nuggets were delicious.
Hundreds of times have I driven past Pollardville, but never once did I stop to visit. Thank you Jeff for taking me there to see all of the wonders that I failed see in person.
Nicely done. I managed to go to the ghost town a few times. One time my (adult) stepbrother was locked in the jail by John Hoffman for at least 15 minutes while Sheriff John tried to sweet talk my older sister. Unfortunately she didn't take to him and finally John let the step-bother out, darn it. One cute attraction they had was a wooden box, probably 4 feet by 4 feet close to the the town entrance. It was covered with hardware cloth and had big red warning signs all around it. "CAUTION baby rattlers! Stay back. Do not put hands near box!" Naturally everyone had to step up and look and in the bottom of the box was 8 or 10 plastic baby's rattles. Always good for a laugh to watch people look in. After the ghost town closed I still went to the restaurant 3 or 4 times for the best chicken-fried steak around.
I used to go here from time to time with my brother Tommy Morrow . My dad used to perform out there when younger with his step dad John Hoffman. Look at 12:02 my dad on bottom left side and 13:20 my step grandpa I never met my grandma Mary's second husband John Hoffman. So many memories in that place. There fired chicken was out of this world!
Hi Jeff. You did a good job telling the history of Pollardville, especially since you never saw it when it was flourishing. I was a gunfighter and actor in many of the Palace Showboat shows. I also produced and directed the last show on the stage and would be happy to send you a DVD of that. It was quite a show. I also took about 80% of the photos you used in your video. I was a part of the place for age 16 on and count Sheriff John Hoffman as my friend, as well as Neil Pollard. My thanks for all the time and effort on your video. Ed Thorpe.
When I was a kid, my mother and I would drive from Sacramento to Capitola about once a month to visit my grandfather. In those days that required driving south on U.S.99 then west on U.S. 50. We would always stop at Pollardville for a chicken dinner. A vivid memory I have was looking in the newspaper box at Pollardville and reading the headline announcing that Alaska had been made the 49th state.
Went to the Showboat Theater. They were putting on an old western play and actually encouraged ' audience participation '. The cast members were at the doors on the way out to thank people for being there. Was a great place. Wow. The Post Office from Mt. Ranch. Turned into a hotdog stand across from Senders Market.
Thanks so much for covering this piece of local history. Back in 2013 I ran a twice daily route between Sacramento and Stockton and had always wondered what had been there other than a chicken restaurant. I would have loved to have taken my family there.
I grew up in Northern California, and my grandmother lived in Modesto. Going to visit her, we always drove past Pollardville. We never stopped there, but just seeing the place always made an impression for some reason. This video really brings back memories. Great video and channel.
I went there a few times as a kid and road the railroad. I still own a vintage hot wheels car I bought from the general store with my lawn mowing money when I was a kid. Sad to see it gone :(
You did a wonderful job on this video. It was very interesting and sad for me. My grandma used to take us kids there every once in a while. Probably in the late 90s-early 2000s. Great memories. It's so sad that the family decided to let it go
I lived in stockton all my life. Enjoyed seeing this as I live 3 miles away. Had gone there so many times! Even took my kids. So sad to see it go. The chicken was kinda oily, but good! I remember the crash and the Islander being moved there. I am glad the chicken statue was saved. So sad to see the weeds take over memories. Thank you for all your history projects!
I was born and grew up for most of my life in stockton. Always drove by pollardville as a little kid in the late 90's but never went in. Kinda sad now that I love learning about history that we cant go there and enjoy what was once an amazing looking place.
At least my video can at least allow us to revisit and remember it the way it was. Thank you so much for watching! We hope you subscribe. We will be doing a video on Cool Hand Luke movie filming locations shot in the Stockton area!
We went to Pollards so many times. We never drove by without stopping for a chicken dinner. We went through the ghost town many times. It is sad to see It like this. RIP Pollardville..
Excellent video! Thanks for your efforts! Pollardville was the "go-to" place for dinner every Sunday after church! My kids practically grew up there. It holds so many awesome memories for us. My son still has a quart of the chicken soup with rice in his freezer 14 years later that he just can't let go of! Not to eat, just for memorabilia. Sad that the Pollard's didn't sell/share the recipe for the chicken. I still crave it to this day!
Living North of Sacramento I never made it that far south with my parents as a child, only on trips to Santa Ana to visit my brother. When I started driving in 1976 and became a commercial driver in 78 did I start going that way on a steady basis.. had noticed the place but knew little about it and watched it deteriorate over the years. Now that you have filled in the blanks I wish I could have went.. back in the day! Thanks Jeff! As always OUTSTANDING JOB!😀
Wonderful to hear, James! Thanks. The loss of Pollardville is yet another subtraction from the flavor of the Valley. I am so sorry it's not around today for my grandchildren!
I stumbled upon this video & I loved it! It made me very sad but very nostalgic. I am from Stockton, I remember going there on a field trip, it was one of the most memorable & wonderful memories as a kid, I just loved it! Gold panning, making corn bread, the old western buildings & the characters walking around.. the whole vibe was awesome..an experience I’ll never forget.. very sad that it was torn down 🥹 thank you for making this video. ❤️
Used to be a regular stop for us returning home to Amador County from our yearly Civil War reenactment in Fresno. Last time I visited was 2006, it was getting pretty run down then. Glad to see that some of the historical buildings and artifacts were returned to their origins or restored. You did a good job of describing it for someone who doesn't remember going there.
Thanks for watching! I wish it was still there but it seems like homemade places of entertainment like this -- and the Ponderosa which I will be featuring next -- are all disappearing. (Sigh)
I've passed Pollardville many times when I went to visit my Grandparents in Sacramento - I always told myself that I was going to stop and check it out. I can kick myself because I never did. RIP Pollardville.
My dad and mom had a shop there called Out of Our Gourds in the early 90s Their names were Bill and Carla Robertson, The local schools would have field trips there during Valley days and my father played as the blacksmith, me my wife and my youngest daughter would spend weekends out there, The candy store and the antique store was still open then also as well as the train and the panhandling for gold would be open, those were the good all days and great memories, oh by the way the salon was open as well.
Another old "roadside attraction" worth an episode is Vacaville's famous "Nut Tree", that in the 1960s was an amazing place to visit. See the Vacaville Museum for info (and perhaps video) on that vintage park. A place I grew up with; living in nearby Dixon. Another great place was "Sam's" on Highway 50 near Cameron Park. BTW, great Pollardville show. I do remember the chicken on the top of the sign years ago driving by.
Thanx for this show it brought back lot of memories with my parents who used to take us there for dinner and a show .....sad to see it go wished they would have made it an historical landmark.....thanx for the fun times
I used to go here as a kid 😭 i will forever miss it , it was so fun on halloween too , they would have ppl acting n set it up like the old western times i loved it so much
So many memories. So one mentioned some of the other places such as the water slides off Hammer, Naughty Nick’s, and I remember another called the Big Yellow House. Thank you for sharing almost forgotten Pollardville!
Excellent presentation. Thank you for what you do. Huell Howser is gone but fortunately others like yourself have taken up the mantle. Pollardville is gone; Frontier Village is gone; Pacific Ocean Park is gone. Long live Casa De Fruta!!
I was an actor at the Palace Showboat Theater. I was The Jovial Sailor William in Black Eyed Susan. And was also part of The Gay 90s Olio under the direction of Steven Orr. I went on to be a gunfighter in the ghost town under the direction of J.T. Buck with Merle, Bill Riddle, Ray, Matthew and Dawna Melton, and many other original characters. I often played Ham or Eggs in Poker Chip and had my head banged against to bottom of the watering trough more than once. The funnest though was robbing the train. Good times good times.
It's so sad to see good family parks disappear Jeff. Lived in California for nearly 30 years & never new Pollardville existed. Thanks for keeping history alive.👍🤠🌵🇺🇸
Great tour Jeff, I have drove by that Pollardville sign hundreds of times on my sales run from Modesto to Sacramento. I often wondered what kind of attraction it was. Kinda like Frontier Village in San Jose which is just a memory also. Your tours are Great and Thanks for all of the work you put in behind the scenes to add so many interesting facts!!
I certainly remember Frontier Village because I grew up in Milpitas down the road. In fact I have a photo of me in the head stock! LOL. Thank you very much, Rich. We love what we do ... just wish we could do it full time to pay the bills. But we are growing ... hopefully soon! LOL
Great video! I always remember passing by Pollardville all the time since the mid 1960s. I'm pretty sure I had gone there a couple of times in the 1970s, but my memory kind of fails me. I'm so sad to see that everything in Pollardville was demolished. :( I love the Pollardville sign, and I sure hope it remains there for many years to come so that people passing by can at least see a great historic remnant of the place. :)
We used to eat in the jail cell ... I have a few pictures stuck someplace; not sure where now. When they decided to close the place for "development" , aka future housing for Bay Area transplants, we were angry about it, since there wasn't a hell of a lot left to do for fun, as it was, in the area. The skating rink is another gym, the drive-in theater is a flee market, etc etc. I can close my eyes and still see the gift shop area, just inside the restaurants entrance, the jail cell to the left, a bar area back to the left of that and the covered wagon straight ahead. The old town in back was great, with it's chickens or hens running freely about. I always said, while there, "I'd like to live someplace like this" . I miss the place much and there isn't a Jack In The Box or Chinese food restaurant around that can match the old Chicken Kitchen. Lots of changes and none of them good.
One of my buddies used to live there. His room shared a common wall with the showboat dressing room. He drilled a hole in the wall and used to peep at the girls dressing for performances. He got caught. RIP Johnny Bateman. My parents took me there in the 60s, and I took my kids there in the mid 90s. We used to sit in either the jail cell, or in the covered wagon in the restaurant to eat chicken and have the wonderful chicken and rice soup. My company took us to a showboat dinner theater one night. I had deep fried breaded shrimp. It was great fun. Everyone had a blast. I was sad to see it go. Great job on the video Bro! Thanks!
Very sad that it's gone. You would think it could still be doing well, sometimes generationally things may wane but they come back in favour with flare. Mystery solved for me. I always was cheered seeing the chicken, the tiki shaped building and the big signs while driving by on an otherwise barren freeway...(1990s I'd moved up from southern cal). Great journalism.
Our family use to go there often when we were young. Loved the Chicken Kitchen! Best chicken ever! Best ever! The 60s!!!!! Use to go dancing at the Islander also in the early 70s Miss those days!
Thank you so much. My late mother-in-law lived in Morada, right down the street from Pollardville. For many years, Eiko Curda cooked the chicken dinners, french fries, and the wonderful meals we all enjoyed. She made the most tender giblets I've ever had. She was a lovely, precious lady. My late wife and she are now together, along with Jimmy, Barbara's brother. Amazing people, a wonderful place, and a part of my heart.
Scott Ellenwood your comments bless me! This is why I do these videos, for people like you who appreciate them! Thank you very much. I’m always looking for more subscribers!
@@scottellenwood2407 Awwww. Bless her heart. I too have long departed relatives who I sorely miss. That's one of the parts I hate the most -- losing loved ones.
Scott Ellenwood my grandma Naomi Williams was also a cook there since I was a little girl. She never would share the chicken recipe, said she was sworn to secrecy. So sad.
So sad to see this place gone for good so many good memories gun fights fishing train rides chicken dinners gold panning throwing your friends in the jail hahaha good times I remember we got robbed on the train so cool wish I could have takin my nice and nephew but only one left in stockton is pixie woods we were poor growing up and to us this was our neighborhood sixflags 😂 but the workers and volunteers made pollardville great remember also the train operator let just pull the bell and whistle thank you everyone who made this place special and thank you jeff for doing this episode
I had so much fun on the train as a good they put on such an awesome showm getting robed on the train, the stores where awesome, as a kid drinking rootbeer in a bottle was awesome my nieces had bdays their. i loved the animals so much to do so much fun i still have some pictures there, i wish i took more.
What a great video!, just came across my newsfeed. I miss this place as I worked there in the mid 70s and even appeared in a movie (one of many) that was made there and still live just around the corner from it!
Shawn Coles thank you very much for your compliments. Where did you see this advertised? And I would extend a personal invitation for you to become a subscriber of my channel. We have a lot more fun things to show. Pollardville was a great place. Too bad it’s not around anymore.
Very well done!! I remember eating in the covered wagon dining area of the Chicken Kitchen when I was 10yrs old. My dad pointed out the wood carved tiki posts, next to the jail cell eating area, recalling the buildings Islander past. I found it hard to believe it had been moved from it's original Pacific Avenue location.
It sounds like a great place for birthdays! Too bad I never got to experience that! I was stuck to parties at putt-putt golf in Modesto! Hey, Lisa, I'd love to have you as a subscriber if you're not already! Thanks!
I remember my dad would take me there as a child on our way to Sacramento to visit my grandmother and on the way back home to Bakersfield or Hanford where we lived… great memories as a child.!.😃🎉😇🙏🏽👍
We moved up to Discovery Bay from Long Beach back in 1997 and found this place on a road trip in 1999. My kids were very young then and we enjoyed exploring the Sierra Nevada's and Central Valley. We must of passed Pollardville on our way up highway 88 to Jackson, Columbia, or Murphys. With lots of curiosity, we stopped here and explored. The lake was still here and I remember beautiful peacocks as well. I always wondered what the significance of the place was. It's nice to now know. Thanks for sharing more local history!
My wife and I used to visit Pollardville when we traveled up the 99 from Los Angeles to perform at the Big Fresno Fair. Had an opportunity to eat at the restaurant and walk the grounds. Since we are theater people we had an opportunity to tour the inside of the Showboat theater. I had expressed interest in purchasing the wagon stage, seen quickly in your video. It would have been a perfect Snake Oil Medicine Show Stage to tour to county fairs. But alas no one was on site to assist me with the purchase. Interesting how Pollardville's history mirrors Knott's Berry Farm with the Chicken Restaurant and restored Ghost Town.
It’s a real shame it wasn’t preserved. Since I shot this everything has been removed, every last trace of Pollardville! They are going to build houses there. Sad deal.
It pisses me off I found out too late about this place. It's pathetic because I have lived in Cal since 1994. One of my favorite movies is The Big Country and would have loved to see the ol set
I remembered Pollardville when I was young. I recall the car crash. Thanks for sharing! Enjoyed all the photos and you pointing out where things were back in the day! I saw that jail on a visit to Jamestown
As an original Stocktonian, I remember going there with friends and family to the Chicken Kitchen, it truly was the best chicken at the time! Such a gem at the time! Miss seeing those shoot outs as we passed from Hwy 99! Thanks for this post.
Did it? I wish I had tasted some of it! This is Jeff in the video. I'd love to have you subscribe for more history shows! If you have already, thanks! If you haven't I thank you in advance!
I grew up in Stockton, my grandparents lived at the end of Shipper Ln. We drove by that place all the time but never went in. I moved from Stockton and never knew what happened to the islander restaurant, now I know. I had driven by that place several times and had seen the restaurant building not knowing that that is what it was! I told my wife a can now scratch that one off my list. The video was awesome, I could finally see what was in Pollerville. I lived right there and never knew what was on the interior. 👍
That was my parents favorite restaurant....they spent many birthdays and anniversaries there when I was younger. I also got to take my wife there right before they closed down....how we wish Pollardville was still open
As a child my family and I loved visiting Pollardville ❤ The western town was my favorite with the train and stage coach rides! We would have a delicious chicken dinner and then go see a melodrama play. I loved the audience participation in the play boo hiss for the villain, yay for the hero. 😊 good memories of good family times.❤
Quoting Elvis Jeff, "Memories pressed between the pages of my mind, Memories sweetened through the ages just like wine; sweet memories, sweet memories, (fade). 1898 Gaol.
This was my third grade field trip. I had a blast! So did our whole class. My favorite was the school from the 1800s. I also made a native Indian feather hat, and bought some candy at their candy store.
Jeff, don’t know if you’ll see this, but the steam engine is now in the city of Folsom and as of 2-20-2022 it is running. It’s first steam in many years. My wife and I were fortunate enough to take a short ride on it. Live steam is great. Maybe this is something you would be interested in. Thanks.
Thank you, thank you! Went there so many times in the 60s as a kid because my grandma lived in Lodi and we visit quite often and this is where we always eat dinner. Their chicken was to die for and they had honey from local bee Farms and I love putting honey on the chicken. Their chicken rice broth soup was so good and it’s fairly easy to copy and I’ve made it since several times at home. I remember Sheriff John walking in to have dinner at the little bar area for eating and all the kids would sit up taller, act better when he was in there. I miss the 25 cent player pianos in the entry, the uneven slanted floor in the lobby of the original building that would speed up your pace walking to the dinning area and the bathrooms that you had to walk outside to go to. Every once in a while we walk to the town of Polarville behind the restaurant. The original building was much better to eat at in then The new one built later after the first one burned down, it just didn’t have the ambience of the first one. I can still hear the metal chairs scrape the floor as you pull them out and the long tables so a big family could sit with no problem and you didn’t have to wait around for a server to put tables together. Also love to look at the old walking canes scattered about and they used old dining hutches to put there extras on white napkins and silverware and so on. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
A favorite place my cousins and I loved to visit and eat chicken. On the last day of grammar school, I use to bring my 4 sons and their friends here - they had a lot of fun and we would visit every year until that went into high school.
My wife took me there several times in the early '90s after I moved to be with her near Linden. We went for the fried chicken but then she started telling me about the western town and train that used to be out back. We could still see a few remnants through the trees. That sure was really good fried chicken!
We are not old and grey that remember Pollardville. I’m 41 and remember it well and great time with my grandparents and family. Yes, the best chicken you will ever find! Thanks for the post. 😀
I was a gunslinger in the Ghost Town and an actor in the Palace. It was a decade that changed my life and I'm so heartbroken that it's gone. Thank you for this great docu-series. You did a good job.
Thank you! I appreciate your kind words. Pollardville was a great family place indeed! I would love to have you as a subscriber!
TY so much for your service!!! I remember the stagecoach being held up and it was quite an experience, Lol. And the shootout in the street. I sure miss that place :(
Nanaz4Mz thank you for your nice words! I invite you to subscribe to my channel! More fun episodes to come! Jeff
Thank you for entertaining us!
My aunt Judy Callopy was one of the actors in the wild west show
Sadly, you mentioned that families "use to" enjoy activities together such as Pollardville. There were so many more places a family could have experienced together in the Stockton area, but are now in the past memories of those who knew them. Here are a few examples: Pollardville, Hammer Skate, Manteca Water Park, Water Slides and Miniature Golf on Hammer and West Lane, Naughty Nicks, and a slew of movie theaters razed by the bulldozer. All gone in a very short twenty years.
So true. As a kid there was so much for us to do here in Stockton.
Peter piper pizza and the motor movies
I was born and raised in Lodi and I have been there several times. The last time was when I was in college in 1982. You sat in the theater that was set up with tables and you ate chicken while you cheered the hero and hissed at the villain. It was so much good, wholesome, delicious, kitschy fun. Man, this video made me so nostalgic for those times. Not much out there in the US that's like it anymore. A piece of lost Americana. Thanks for doing this video. It made my day.
Thanks Bob. I grew up in Modesto in the 1960s and sure miss life back then, when things were slower, less sophisticated, less pressured and more wholesome so you and I are on the same page! Just like you, I wish Pollardville was still around! Knowing that this video made your day is very nice to hear. Quite frankly your reaction is why I do these videos because Lord knows they are costing me time, money and narration costs. But I sure love making them! More areaon the way. I am finishing up another video and have lots more in the conceptual stage. So I would love for you to tap into the future episodes by subscribing to my channel! I would be greatly honored! Thanks again, Bob.
@@jbenziggy And I do appreciate you doing them. I just ran into this video by accident from a posting on Facebook...and you better believe I subscribed. ;) In fact, I just paused the video you did on A&W root beer. If I remember correctly, since they started in 1919 that makes them the oldest still-operating fast food restaurant in the US. While their presence is waning here in America they are ALL OVER Canada. Not quite as ubiquitous as Subway or Starbucks but you don't have to travel far to find one. I still hit the one in Renton, WA occasionally since I really like their hamburgers. And the root beer you get at their restaurant is an order of magnitude better than the stuff you buy at the store.
@@bobholt5081 thanks my friend! I appreciate it!
I was raised in Lodi and passed by all the time on highway 99 never went through. I did by get to go to a vaudeville show in 2004 in central California around Santa Maria, don't know exactly where I didn't drive and it was a hoot, if I hadn't been taking a drama course I would never have gone👍 also went to a live theater in Solvang California, almost fell asleep at that one though.
@@bobholt5081 I also worked at the A&w on Lodi avenue, I don't remember the recipe but the root beer is/ was made in-house. I got in trouble for wearing a tank top to work, even though my girlfriend was wearing a tank top at work, the owner said it was because I had hairy arms and so I shaved them. I think I ended up quitting or got fired over it!
I remember that place when I was younger, back in the 90’s. My family were big Japanese farmers and we farmed land around that area. My cousin Wayne took me to the Chicken Kitchen to grab lunch for me, my older cousin Wayne, and my Uncle Jimmy. I miss those days. Thank you for the memories
Boy oh boy! I grew up visiting this place. I remember the highlight of the year was a "chicken festival" and you got to see these beautiful Banti hens dance in the middle of Main Street. The summer of 1993 during the Chicken Festival at the age of 15 I performed a country song acapella. It was my first experience on stage. And then the summer of 1995 I worked at a store during the Chicken Festival. What a blast to see these photos and hear the history. Thank you it was nice to remember.
That was my Dad, D.W. Landingham pictured shaking hands with Claude Akins.
Joanna Landingham very very cool! Is he still alive?
@@jbenziggy no. He passed away in 2010.
Joanna Landingham I’m sorry to hear that. My parents are getting up in age. I hope you liked my little video and I hope you subscribe to my channel! Thanks for reaching out!
Joanna, I sure do miss your Dad !
I think there is a Street with the Atkins if you go past the bridge.
So glad you made notice of this old landmark! As I recall, the Pollard's claim to fame with their chicken dinners was they had developed a new way of butchering the whole chickens so you could have a quarter-chicken meal. Hard to believe that to be revolutionary today.
In the early 1980s, I apprenticed with Fresno mechanical music restorer Hayes McClaran. We restored nickelodeons, player pianos, orchestrions, and carousel organs. McClaran told me that after the ghost town closed in the 1970s, the Pollards held an auction to sell off the mechanical music items. He said these auction lots were the leavings of the Wisnett collection that I know nothing of. Your video includes a black and white photo of a European street organ that I had never seen before. McClaran acquired that from the auction. It is a Gasparini 47-key organ that had been converted from a pinned wooden barrel to key punched book music. I don't know where it resides now after McClaran's death.
About 1983, McClaran made a deal with Neal Pollard to purchase any of the mechanical music parts or gambling items than remained in the warehouses behind the Palace Dinner Theater. These warehouses looked like they had been moved in also and could have been those that would front railroad sidings. The buildings were in bad shape with everything scattered about, dirty, covered in mud, etc. We took a Ryder truck full of parts and items out of there. After loaded up, we walked forward in the building through the Palace Theater. The dressing rooms were full of flouncy saloon girl dresses and other costumes to the point it was hard to walk through, and I thought this was a real fire trap. No problem..... they had water faucets and red-painted fire buckets hanging throughout that section. You' play heck to get out of there if a fire started, but they were still operating the Palace two nights a week!
Instead, the chicken restaurant burned to the ground the following year. Neil found that Polynesian-styled restaurant building in Stockton and had it moved onto the property to rebuild the chicken restaurant. Glad the jail got back to Jamestown and your video capturing that.
Wow , I had no idea ,.. 5hats righ5 , they sod the chicken that way and not in pieces , i never realized til noww that it was different from most chicken places at the time
I can remember going there when I was 4 or 5 years old with my grandfather. Those times were glorious!
I can also remember the honor of working there as a young adult in the "Showboat," and in the street performing gunfights in the later years; shortly before it closed.
Your historical endeavor, good sir, is well done in my opinion.
I enjoyed the trip into the/my past, even though it did bring a tear to my eye.
Bravo!
were you in the pictures in this video Mr. Head? Was the chicken dinner as good as Knott's Berry Farm's?
@@kirkmacarthur8003
Well, its been a year since I watched the video but I don't recall seeing myself in it.
As for the chicken, I couldn't say because I never had a chicken dinner at Knott's Berry Farm. ✌🏼
I was a pimply faced teen in 1970 when I went to Pollardville for a "Battle of the Bands" for all the garage bands in the area. Most pounded out bad renditions of Born to be Wild.
Wow - VERY well done!
I grew up about a quarter mile away in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, and came from a lower middle-class family. That’s important because it was a real treat when my parents would take us there for dinner. The chicken was the best chicken on the planet, and they served a salad as a side dish that was equally great.
We would spend afternoons in the ghost town - - it seemed like Sheriff John was always in a gunfight. A nice man, but he always had a mean look on his face that made him scary as hell.
I always had a lot of fun when we would go to the shows inside the riverboat, and in the early ‘80’s I lived next door to a couple that were actors in the shows...they were fun as hell and occasionally invited me to a show, then backstage where they all knew how to party!
Thanks for taking me down memory lane!
Thank you for this video.🥲. I was born and raised in Stockton, and this site (park) will always have a piece in my memory as long as I live.
Such a big part of my childhood. When I was just a kid my parents took me there every six months to see the shows at the Palace, until I was finally old enough to be onstage myself, just before my 16th birthday. I lost track how many shows I actually did...best times of my life, made lifelong friendships with many wonderful people. Closed the last show on that stage on Oct. 30, 1992 a few months pregnant with my now 26 year old daughter. There will never be another Palace Showboat Dinner Theater, or Pollardville.
Melinda Edens I regret not having truly experiencing the Park but in a sense I was able to relive its glory in doing this video. Thank you for watching! I’d love to have you subscribe to our channel!
Hi Melinda!!! Good to see your shared memories here.
Thanks for doing this. My wife and I took the very last ride on the Chicken Kitchen Railroad. We still have our tickets! The train had a motor from a Chevy Corvair and was honestly geared a bit too fast. It took a lot of clutch slipping to get it rolling. Along the north side of the Steamboat building between it and the property line fence was a long lean-to where the train spent its time when not running. The Steamboat actually had a basement, and for many years in the 70's, there was a huge HO gage model railroad layout in there. They had an open house one year and the Stockton Record newspaper did a story. My picture, taken while watching a train go by, appeared in the story. The train tracks went over the pond and to the back of the property line, near the KWIN FM broadcast tower that used to be back there. In 2007, a new tower for KWIN was built on the other side of Eight Mile Road, and the old 340 foot tower behind Pollardville was unceremoniously cut down and allowed to fall. I have video of that if you wish. That tower coming down, and the resulting loss of income from the radio station renting that ground for the tower for decades happened because the land was to be sold to a housing developer who had plans to build expensive homes on the Pollardville site. Then, after the land was cleared, the "great recession" of 2008 happened. The plans for homes to be built where Pollardville once stood were cancelled, and the land remains in limbo as you see now. It's a real shame.
Great details! Since I did this video I believe they are proceeding with building homes. At least it looked that way last time we flew down the highway at 75 mph! Thanks for sharing things I didn’t know about! Sad it is but a memory now!
@@jbenziggy Wow. Since you are apparently local, we should do a collab soon. I drive a 90 year old car every day.
Grew up coming here. My brother was an actor and gunslinger. Great video! Thanks for the memories.
I bet you have a lot of great memories and photos! Thanks for watching and for your positive feedback! We'd love to have you as a subscriber if you want to see coming episodes! Thanks!
Went here dozens of times with family as a child, then with my own children as an adult. Always has a great time, the decor had alot of history, you could eat in a covered wagon or a jail cell, and the catfish nuggets were delicious.
Hundreds of times have I driven past Pollardville, but never once did I stop to visit. Thank you Jeff for taking me there to see all of the wonders that I failed see in person.
I'm happy that you watched Uncle Roy and hope you enjoyed! More to come!
John Hoffman was my great grandmother's second husband. And one of the young men in the photos with him is my grandfather. Thank you for this video!
Thanks for the info and for watching! Fascinating connection!
Nicely done. I managed to go to the ghost town a few times. One time my (adult) stepbrother was locked in the jail by John Hoffman for at least 15 minutes while Sheriff John tried to sweet talk my older sister. Unfortunately she didn't take to him and finally John let the step-bother out, darn it. One cute attraction they had was a wooden box, probably 4 feet by 4 feet close to the the town entrance. It was covered with hardware cloth and had big red warning signs all around it. "CAUTION baby rattlers! Stay back. Do not put hands near box!" Naturally everyone had to step up and look and in the bottom of the box was 8 or 10 plastic baby's rattles. Always good for a laugh to watch people look in. After the ghost town closed I still went to the restaurant 3 or 4 times for the best chicken-fried steak around.
I used to go here from time to time with my brother Tommy Morrow . My dad used to perform out there when younger with his step dad John Hoffman. Look at 12:02 my dad on bottom left side and 13:20 my step grandpa I never met my grandma Mary's second husband John Hoffman. So many memories in that place. There fired chicken was out of this world!
Hi Jeff. You did a good job telling the history of Pollardville, especially since you never saw it when it was flourishing. I was a gunfighter and actor in many of the Palace
Showboat shows. I also produced and directed the last show on the stage and would be happy to send you a DVD of that. It was quite a show. I also took about 80% of the photos you used in your video. I was a part of the place for age 16 on and count Sheriff John Hoffman as my friend, as well as Neil Pollard. My thanks for all the time and effort on your video. Ed Thorpe.
My aunt Judy Callopy was in the western show for a few years.
When I was a kid, my mother and I would drive from Sacramento to Capitola about once a month to visit my grandfather. In those days that required driving south on U.S.99 then west on U.S. 50. We would always stop at Pollardville for a chicken dinner. A vivid memory I have was looking in the newspaper box at Pollardville and reading the headline announcing that Alaska had been made the 49th state.
Went to the Showboat Theater. They were putting on an old western play and actually encouraged ' audience participation '. The cast members were at the doors on the way out to thank people for being there. Was a great place. Wow. The Post Office from Mt. Ranch. Turned into a hotdog stand across from Senders Market.
I lived a few blocks from there growing up. A lot of good memories.
Thanks so much for covering this piece of local history. Back in 2013 I ran a twice daily route between Sacramento and Stockton and had always wondered what had been there other than a chicken restaurant. I would have loved to have taken my family there.
Our pleasure! Thanks for watching!
I grew up in Northern California, and my grandmother lived in Modesto. Going to visit her, we always drove past Pollardville. We never stopped there, but just seeing the place always made an impression for some reason. This video really brings back memories.
Great video and channel.
I went there a few times as a kid and road the railroad. I still own a vintage hot wheels car I bought from the general store with my lawn mowing money when I was a kid. Sad to see it gone :(
Sad to see places like this close down. Can you imagine how many memories were made here by families? This channel kicks booty!!!
Thanks George!
You did a wonderful job on this video. It was very interesting and sad for me. My grandma used to take us kids there every once in a while. Probably in the late 90s-early 2000s. Great memories. It's so sad that the family decided to let it go
my Dad and his buddy used to pull the stage couch with mules in the 90's there.
I lived in stockton all my life. Enjoyed seeing this as I live 3 miles away. Had gone there so many times! Even took my kids.
So sad to see it go. The chicken was kinda oily, but good!
I remember the crash and the Islander being moved there.
I am glad the chicken statue was saved. So sad to see the weeds take over memories.
Thank you for all your history projects!
Thay held birthday parties in the saloon and the gunfighters were hilarious : )
I was born and grew up for most of my life in stockton. Always drove by pollardville as a little kid in the late 90's but never went in. Kinda sad now that I love learning about history that we cant go there and enjoy what was once an amazing looking place.
At least my video can at least allow us to revisit and remember it the way it was. Thank you so much for watching! We hope you subscribe. We will be doing a video on Cool Hand Luke movie filming locations shot in the Stockton area!
We went to Pollards so many times. We never drove by without stopping for a chicken dinner. We went through the ghost town many times. It is sad to see It like this. RIP Pollardville..
Excellent video! Thanks for your efforts!
Pollardville was the "go-to" place for dinner every Sunday after church! My kids practically grew up there.
It holds so many awesome memories for us. My son still has a quart of the chicken soup with rice in his freezer 14 years later that he just can't let go of! Not to eat, just for memorabilia.
Sad that the Pollard's didn't sell/share the recipe for the chicken. I still crave it to this day!
Living North of Sacramento I never made it that far south with my parents as a child, only on trips to Santa Ana to visit my brother. When I started driving in 1976 and became a commercial driver in 78 did I start going that way on a steady basis.. had noticed the place but knew little about it and watched it deteriorate over the years. Now that you have filled in the blanks I wish I could have went.. back in the day! Thanks Jeff! As always OUTSTANDING JOB!😀
Wonderful to hear, James! Thanks. The loss of Pollardville is yet another subtraction from the flavor of the Valley. I am so sorry it's not around today for my grandchildren!
I used to go line dancing there in the 90's. Great to hear the stories and see the old photos!
I stumbled upon this video & I loved it! It made me very sad but very nostalgic. I am from Stockton, I remember going there on a field trip, it was one of the most memorable & wonderful memories as a kid, I just loved it! Gold panning, making corn bread, the old western buildings & the characters walking around.. the whole vibe was awesome..an experience I’ll never forget.. very sad that it was torn down 🥹 thank you for making this video. ❤️
Used to be a regular stop for us returning home to Amador County from our yearly Civil War reenactment in Fresno. Last time I visited was 2006, it was getting pretty run down then. Glad to see that some of the historical buildings and artifacts were returned to their origins or restored. You did a good job of describing it for someone who doesn't remember going there.
Thanks for watching! I wish it was still there but it seems like homemade places of entertainment like this -- and the Ponderosa which I will be featuring next -- are all disappearing. (Sigh)
I've passed Pollardville many times when I went to visit my Grandparents in Sacramento - I always told myself that I was going to stop and check it out. I can kick myself because I never did. RIP Pollardville.
My dad and mom had a shop there called Out of Our Gourds in the early 90s Their names were Bill and Carla Robertson, The local schools would have field trips there during Valley days and my father played as the blacksmith, me my wife and my youngest daughter would spend weekends out there, The candy store and the antique store was still open then also as well as the train and the panhandling for gold would be open, those were the good all days and great memories, oh by the way the salon was open as well.
Lodi, Load-eye not Load-ee. It's named after a town in Italy.
madmat2001 yeah I think my narrator, who lives in Japan, got it wrong! I live near Lodi so I know how it’s pronounced. LOL. Hey won’t you subscribe?
I guess you will know the tune _"Oh! Lord, stuck in Lodi again"_
Yes I noticed too. It is humourous.
@@KowboyUSA stuck in Lodi was written in galt ca waiting for a member of band to get out of jail the motel no longer exists
Another old "roadside attraction" worth an episode is Vacaville's famous "Nut Tree", that in the 1960s was an amazing place to visit. See the Vacaville Museum for info (and perhaps video) on that vintage park. A place I grew up with; living in nearby Dixon. Another great place was "Sam's" on Highway 50 near Cameron Park. BTW, great Pollardville show. I do remember the chicken on the top of the sign years ago driving by.
I remember stopping in at the Nut Tree as a kid. It's all changed there too, unfortunately.
Grew up in Stockton. As a kid we had birthday parties there. Also my neighbors were actors in the shows and we'd go to see them. Loved going there.
It’s sad to see it gone. I regret never having experienced it myself! I could see it in my mind’s eye though! Thanks for watching!
Thanx for this show it brought back lot of memories with my parents who used to take us there for dinner and a show .....sad to see it go wished they would have made it an historical landmark.....thanx for the fun times
I used to go here as a kid 😭 i will forever miss it , it was so fun on halloween too , they would have ppl acting n set it up like the old western times i loved it so much
So many memories. So one mentioned some of the other places such as the water slides off Hammer, Naughty Nick’s, and I remember another called the Big Yellow House. Thank you for sharing almost forgotten Pollardville!
Excellent presentation. Thank you for what you do. Huell Howser is gone but fortunately others like yourself have taken up the mantle. Pollardville is gone; Frontier Village is gone; Pacific Ocean Park is gone. Long live Casa De Fruta!!
I was an actor at the Palace Showboat Theater. I was The Jovial Sailor William in Black Eyed Susan. And was also part of The Gay 90s Olio under the direction of Steven Orr. I went on to be a gunfighter in the ghost town under the direction of J.T. Buck with Merle, Bill Riddle, Ray, Matthew and Dawna Melton, and many other original characters. I often played Ham or Eggs in Poker Chip and had my head banged against to bottom of the watering trough more than once.
The funnest though was robbing the train.
Good times good times.
It's so sad to see good family parks disappear Jeff. Lived in California for nearly 30 years & never new Pollardville existed. Thanks for keeping history alive.👍🤠🌵🇺🇸
Great tour Jeff, I have drove by that Pollardville sign hundreds of times on my sales run from Modesto to Sacramento. I often wondered what kind of attraction it was. Kinda like Frontier Village in San Jose which is just a memory also. Your tours are Great and Thanks for all of the work you put in behind the scenes to add so many interesting facts!!
I certainly remember Frontier Village because I grew up in Milpitas down the road. In fact I have a photo of me in the head stock! LOL. Thank you very much, Rich. We love what we do ... just wish we could do it full time to pay the bills. But we are growing ... hopefully soon! LOL
like you said, "its Not the wild west" but just a little reminder of it.. what an remarkable place long gone.. Great History Hunt
Great video! I always remember passing by Pollardville all the time since the mid 1960s. I'm pretty sure I had gone there a couple of times in the 1970s, but my memory kind of fails me. I'm so sad to see that everything in Pollardville was demolished. :( I love the Pollardville sign, and I sure hope it remains there for many years to come so that people passing by can at least see a great historic remnant of the place. :)
If they ever decide to get rid of it, I would want it!
@John J: It will never be the same without The Big Chicken in the Sky perched on top.
We used to eat in the jail cell ... I have a few pictures stuck someplace; not sure where now. When they decided to close the place for "development" , aka future housing for Bay Area transplants, we were angry about it, since there wasn't a hell of a lot left to do for fun, as it was, in the area. The skating rink is another gym, the drive-in theater is a flee market, etc etc. I can close my eyes and still see the gift shop area, just inside the restaurants entrance, the jail cell to the left, a bar area back to the left of that and the covered wagon straight ahead. The old town in back was great, with it's chickens or hens running freely about. I always said, while there, "I'd like to live someplace like this" . I miss the place much and there isn't a Jack In The Box or Chinese food restaurant around that can match the old Chicken Kitchen. Lots of changes and none of them good.
One of my buddies used to live there. His room shared a common wall with the showboat dressing room. He drilled a hole in the wall and used to peep at the girls dressing for performances. He got caught. RIP Johnny Bateman.
My parents took me there in the 60s, and I took my kids there in the mid 90s. We used to sit in either the jail cell, or in the covered wagon in the restaurant to eat chicken and have the wonderful chicken and rice soup. My company took us to a showboat dinner theater one night. I had deep fried breaded shrimp. It was great fun. Everyone had a blast. I was sad to see it go. Great job on the video Bro! Thanks!
Very sad that it's gone. You would think it could still be doing well, sometimes generationally things may wane but they come back in favour with flare. Mystery solved for me. I always was cheered seeing the chicken, the tiki shaped building and the big signs while driving by on an otherwise barren freeway...(1990s I'd moved up from southern cal). Great journalism.
Tremendous! I went twice as a kid, circa 2005 and again during a school field trip right before it closed down circa 2007.
That’s sad that it’s gone. Seems all the nice family places have disappeared into history.
Our family use to go there often when we were young. Loved the Chicken Kitchen! Best chicken ever! Best ever! The 60s!!!!! Use to go dancing at the Islander also in the early 70s Miss those days!
I think all of us over the age of 50 miss a lot about our state and country! LOL
Thank you so much. My late mother-in-law lived in Morada, right down the street from Pollardville. For many years, Eiko Curda cooked the chicken dinners, french fries, and the wonderful meals we all enjoyed. She made the most tender giblets I've ever had. She was a lovely, precious lady.
My late wife and she are now together, along with Jimmy, Barbara's brother.
Amazing people, a wonderful place, and a part of my heart.
Scott Ellenwood your comments bless me! This is why I do these videos, for people like you who appreciate them! Thank you very much. I’m always looking for more subscribers!
Thanks so much Scott! I wish Pollardville was still there!
@@jbenziggy It made my daughter cry, remembering her OBachan (grandmother) and Uncle, but appreciated the memories.
@@scottellenwood2407 Awwww. Bless her heart. I too have long departed relatives who I sorely miss. That's one of the parts I hate the most -- losing loved ones.
Scott Ellenwood my grandma Naomi Williams was also a cook there since I was a little girl. She never would share the chicken recipe, said she was sworn to secrecy. So sad.
Hi Jeff wonderfully done it’s great how you integrate pictures with how it looks now that can’t be easy ! Ty for the great history!!
You are welcome! Thanks for the awesome comment!
I went to Pallardville when I was in the Girl Scouts! About 1965, the gunslinger that showed us around was drunk!! 😂😂😂
Love Grandma Debbie
So sad to see this place gone for good so many good memories gun fights fishing train rides chicken dinners gold panning throwing your friends in the jail hahaha good times I remember we got robbed on the train so cool wish I could have takin my nice and nephew but only one left in stockton is pixie woods we were poor growing up and to us this was our neighborhood sixflags 😂 but the workers and volunteers made pollardville great remember also the train operator let just pull the bell and whistle thank you everyone who made this place special and thank you jeff for doing this episode
I had so much fun on the train as a good they put on such an awesome showm getting robed on the train, the stores where awesome, as a kid drinking rootbeer in a bottle was awesome my nieces had bdays their. i loved the animals so much to do so much fun i still have some pictures there, i wish i took more.
What a great video!, just came across my newsfeed. I miss this place as I worked there in the mid 70s and even appeared in a movie (one of many) that was made there and still live just around the corner from it!
Shawn Coles thank you very much for your compliments. Where did you see this advertised? And I would extend a personal invitation for you to become a subscriber of my channel. We have a lot more fun things to show. Pollardville was a great place. Too bad it’s not around anymore.
History Hunters It was shared from my Pollardville Facebook group and thanks for the invite I did subscribe!
Very well done!! I remember eating in the covered wagon dining area of the Chicken Kitchen when I was 10yrs old. My dad pointed out the wood carved tiki posts, next to the jail cell eating area, recalling the buildings Islander past. I found it hard to believe it had been moved from it's original Pacific Avenue location.
So sad it is gone now, looked like such a fun place. Thank you for sharing.
Jeff, we sure enjoy your documentaries, including your "oldies." They bring back great memories and also tell us stories of things we never knew.
Great! I appreciate the appreciation! Lol
Good times! That used to be the GO TO place for birthdays!
It sounds like a great place for birthdays! Too bad I never got to experience that! I was stuck to parties at putt-putt golf in Modesto! Hey, Lisa, I'd love to have you as a subscriber if you're not already! Thanks!
I remember my dad would take me there as a child on our way to Sacramento to visit my grandmother and on the way back home to Bakersfield or Hanford where we lived… great memories as a child.!.😃🎉😇🙏🏽👍
I was born and raised in Stockton. I live your channel. Thanks for
Thanks for watching!
I was a armor car driver and I remember driving buy there on one of my routes once or twice a week for years.
We moved up to Discovery Bay from Long Beach back in 1997 and found this place on a road trip in 1999. My kids were very young then and we enjoyed exploring the Sierra Nevada's and Central Valley. We must of passed Pollardville on our way up highway 88 to Jackson, Columbia, or Murphys. With lots of curiosity, we stopped here and explored. The lake was still here and I remember beautiful peacocks as well. I always wondered what the significance of the place was. It's nice to now know. Thanks for sharing more local history!
You are welcome! Glad it was a video you enjoyed!
My wife and I used to visit Pollardville when we traveled up the 99 from Los Angeles to perform at the Big Fresno Fair. Had an opportunity to eat at the restaurant and walk the grounds. Since we are theater people we had an opportunity to tour the inside of the Showboat theater. I had expressed interest in purchasing the wagon stage, seen quickly in your video. It would have been a perfect Snake Oil Medicine Show Stage to tour to county fairs. But alas no one was on site to assist me with the purchase. Interesting how Pollardville's history mirrors Knott's Berry Farm with the Chicken Restaurant and restored Ghost Town.
It’s a real shame it wasn’t preserved. Since I shot this everything has been removed, every last trace of Pollardville! They are going to build houses there. Sad deal.
It pisses me off I found out too late about this place. It's pathetic because I have lived in Cal since 1994. One of my favorite movies is The Big Country and would have loved to see the ol set
I remembered Pollardville when I was young. I recall the car crash. Thanks for sharing! Enjoyed all the photos and you pointing out where things were back in the day! I saw that jail on a visit to Jamestown
As an original Stocktonian, I remember going there with friends and family to the Chicken Kitchen, it truly was the best chicken at the time! Such a gem at the time! Miss seeing those shoot outs as we passed from Hwy 99! Thanks for this post.
Pollardville had the best fried chicken, ever.
Did it? I wish I had tasted some of it! This is Jeff in the video. I'd love to have you subscribe for more history shows! If you have already, thanks! If you haven't I thank you in advance!
AMEN
It was almost as good as Old Macdonalds Farm in Sacramento
It was serious DEEP FRIED chicken, served with fries and a small salad and a bowl of chicken with rice soup that was DELICIOUS!
I grew up in Stockton, my grandparents lived at the end of Shipper Ln. We drove by that place all the time but never went in. I moved from Stockton and never knew what happened to the islander restaurant, now I know. I had driven by that place several times and had seen the restaurant building not knowing that that is what it was! I told my wife a can now scratch that one off my list. The video was awesome, I could finally see what was in Pollerville. I lived right there and never knew what was on the interior. 👍
Thanks very much! Visiting the land today it’s almost impossible to tell anything was there! It’s a shame it’s all gone!
Hello Jeff and Sarah we enjoyed this history tour thank you!👍
What great memories. I visited the town and ate the best chicken, but best of all I did two shows at the palace showboat.
Thanks for watching and reliving the memories of Pollardville! Jeff
I visited Pollardville with my family a few times in the 80's
Russell Crockett thanks for watching this video. I wish I can say I remember visiting but I don’t. I would love to have you as a new subscriber!
I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HARD WORK MAKING THESE VIDEOS!!!!! THE DETAIL MAKES IT ALL WORTHWHILE TO WATCH!!!!
I truly appreciate your feedback! It has value to me! Thanks!
Man o man you guys sure dig up the history wow awesome awesome video very cool thank Jeffand Sarah awesome job 🛠️🇨🇦🛠️🇨🇦
Better times back then! This video is one of your best👍
Thank you Dave! I personally liked how it turned out. Made me feel like I'd visited that park!
History Hunters . Yea, for sure. I have never heard of it but I definitely would have like to have been there😁
That was my parents favorite restaurant....they spent many birthdays and anniversaries there when I was younger.
I also got to take my wife there right before they closed down....how we wish Pollardville was still open
I can only remember going there 1 time in the late 90s with my dad, brother & sisters. Good times.
As a child my family and I loved visiting Pollardville ❤ The western town was my favorite with the train and stage coach rides! We would have a delicious chicken dinner and then go see a melodrama play. I loved the audience participation in the play boo hiss for the villain, yay for the hero. 😊 good memories of good family times.❤
I am so disappointed that it was all torn down! Aren't you?
@@jbenziggy yes I am, I had many happy memories from there.
Quoting Elvis Jeff, "Memories pressed between the pages of my mind,
Memories sweetened through the ages just like wine; sweet memories, sweet memories, (fade). 1898 Gaol.
Ghost town amusement park. Was great .
I did enjoy watching it's.
This was my third grade field trip. I had a blast! So did our whole class. My favorite was the school from the 1800s. I also made a native Indian feather hat, and bought some candy at their candy store.
Too bad future generations will never be able to enjoy what you have!
Definitely know about this place! They should've listed this an Historical site. Felt sad to see it go.
Jeff, don’t know if you’ll see this, but the steam engine is now in the city of Folsom and as of 2-20-2022 it is running. It’s first steam in many years. My wife and I were fortunate enough to take a short ride on it. Live steam is great. Maybe this is something you would be interested in. Thanks.
Thanks for bringing back some good memories.
Did not know about Pollardville. So sad to see so many such attractions gone.
Thank you, thank you! Went there so many times in the 60s as a kid because my grandma lived in Lodi and we visit quite often and this is where we always eat dinner. Their chicken was to die for and they had honey from local bee Farms and I love putting honey on the chicken. Their chicken rice broth soup was so good and it’s fairly easy to copy and I’ve made it since several times at home. I remember Sheriff John walking in to have dinner at the little bar area for eating and all the kids would sit up taller, act better when he was in there. I miss the 25 cent player pianos in the entry, the uneven slanted floor in the lobby of the original building that would speed up your pace walking to the dinning area and the bathrooms that you had to walk outside to go to. Every once in a while we walk to the town of Polarville behind the restaurant. The original building was much better to eat at in then The new one built later after the first one burned down, it just didn’t have the ambience of the first one. I can still hear the metal chairs scrape the floor as you pull them out and the long tables so a big family could sit with no problem and you didn’t have to wait around for a server to put tables together. Also love to look at the old walking canes scattered about and they used old dining hutches to put there extras on white napkins and silverware and so on. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Good times loved going there with my family as a child 😔… would love to find something similar to take my family 😔
Excellent video, they just keep getting better and better. Please keep up the good work
Casey Coppi thank you so much for your support! I appreciate your very kind words! Another one is in the works!!!
Thank you Casey! I was wondering where you've been lately!
A favorite place my cousins and I loved to visit and eat chicken. On the last day of grammar school, I use to bring my 4 sons and their friends here - they had a lot of fun and we would visit every year until that went into high school.
Too bad it's gone. I would love to visit it as it was, not as a weed lot. Thanks for watching! Jeff
My first husband worked as a bus boy when he was a teenager
My wife took me there several times in the early '90s after I moved to be with her near Linden.
We went for the fried chicken but then she started telling me about the western town and train that used to be out back. We could still see a few remnants through the trees.
That sure was really good fried chicken!
We are not old and grey that remember Pollardville. I’m 41 and remember it well and great time with my grandparents and family. Yes, the best chicken you will ever find! Thanks for the post. 😀
Enjoyed. This is all new history to me.
It's so sad that this is gone. Since I shot this, the telltale signs of the park have since been removed so that they can build homes there. Sad!