Hollister, California — George & Josephine Myers

A Town with a Colorful History

Some of you may remember Hollister — or at least have heard of it without being able to place why. Sometime around the middle of the 1950s a motion picture starring Marlon Brando told the story of when a motorcycle club took over Hollister and kept the town under siege for several days. Before it was over more than one person had been killed, and the California Highway Patrol, sheriff's departments from several surrounding counties, and multiple local police departments had all been called in to try to restore order. It was a true story.

More recently, several motorcycle clubs again converged on the area as a kind of reunion. The Mission RV Park was used to accommodate many of the motorcyclists over the Fourth of July weekend. Even though there was no real cause for worry it was a somewhat tense few days — some 100,000 motorcyclists in the area, riding their cycles most of the day and night.

Beyond its colorful history, there is some spectacular country around Hollister.

The Windmill near Tres Pinos

An old windmill near Hollister, California on a dark threatening winter day with surface water pooled in the foreground — photographed by George Myers approximately 30 years before the site was written

I took this photograph of the windmill probably 30 or more years ago. The day was fairly dark and threatening rain, and as you can see there is quite a lot of surface water on the ground from several days of rain. Notice something rather remarkable about this windmill — at least remarkable for California — there are no electrical wires running to it to power an electric pump. Shortly after the picture was taken a set of wires was attached.

A windmill in the rolling hills south of Hollister near Tres Pinos, California

Another windmill south of Hollister, near Tres Pinos.

Working the Fields

A crop duster airplane flying low over a field of grapes south of Hollister, California, passing close to electrical wires at the end of the field

A crop duster at work on a field of grapes south of Hollister. Fixed-wing crop dusters are unusual these days — most of the work is now done with helicopters. Notice how close the pilot must fly to the electrical wires at the end of the field. That maneuver is considerably safer in a helicopter than in a plane.

The rolling countryside southeast of Hollister, California

The countryside southeast of Hollister.