VISALIA
February 9, 1929: "At Visalia the tower will rise at the municipal airport. This is the first of the three new ones which will be finished." (Santa Cruz Evening News)
February 28, 1929: "Visalia's gigantic Richfield beacon tower at the airport will be lighted tonight. One-half of the tower was lighted last night and the remainder will go o the electric line this afternoon, completing this phase of the Highway Communities, Inc., program of development at t5he airport.
It was originally planned to have the tower lighted for the evening and success attended the efforts of the crew. It is believed the construction gang following along with the comfort and service station will be here within a very short time, although no word has reached here as yet on this part of the program.
The great tower glows for miles and the big letters, each ten feet high, can be read for nearly two miles." (Visalia Times-Delta)
March 10, 1929: "Visalia.s Richfield beacon tower was recently lighted, completing this phase of development plans of the Highway Communities, Inc., at the local airport. The tower glows for miles and the letters, each ten feet high, can be read for nearly two miles. Construction is expected to start on the service station at an early date." (The Los Angeles Times)
May 10, 1929: "Contract for an $8390 service station to be constructed at Visalia Airport has been awarded by the Richfield Oil Company of California to Myers Brothers, general contractors, and has been filed in the county recorder's office here.
The contract calls for completion of the work by June 13, so construction will probably be started immediately.
The building to be constructed will house the service station, salesroom, storage room and rest rooms. It will be located near the Richfield beacon tower, which was constructed several months ago as the first step in the Richfield building program.
The station will be a beautiful designed building of the Spanish type, with tile roof, stucco walls and specially designed hardware and fixtures. It will face the beacon tower, which forms a part of the yard plan. Cement curbs outlining the planting areas are shown in the plans for the building, which is fully up to the description given out several months ago when the Richfield was making preliminary arrangements for the location of their station.
The new establishment will be known as the Beacon Tower Service Station, and will handle Richfield products exclusively. It is one of a coastwide chain of such buildings to be constructed in California, Washington and Oregon.
Construction activities will apparently be started much sooner than was believed locally. No word concerning the intention of the company has been received here lately and the news that the contract had been let and that construction was to be completed by June 13 came as a surprise." (Visalia Times-Delta)
May 18, 1929: "Work has started on the big beacon on top of the Richfield tower at the airport. Workmen are also busy, as has been stated, building the Richfield service unit but it was not known here that the company had come to an understanding as to the type of aerial beacon to be erected on the top of the tower.
The giant beacon will outshine the government beacon materially. It is to be at least twice as strong as the government beacon and the flasher designating the airport will read 'V-S.'" (Visalia Times-Delta)
July 9, 1929: "With a large number of Visalians in attendance, the Richfield Service Station No. 8 was formally opened at 8:30 last night.
The specially designed station is a most attractive building. It contains six rooms, including a sales room, rest rooms, storage spaces, and is complete in every detail. Even the hardware, such as hinges, lighting fixtures and door handles, have been designed to conform with the tile-roofed Spanish type building.
Set directly east of the 125-foot Richfield beacon tower near the southwest boundary of the airport, the station is surrounded by exceptionally large and well-kept grounds. Garden spaces around the station have already been planted to shrubs and flowers, making the grounds exceptionally attractive.
The station is one of chain of similar stations which will be built between the Mexican and Canadian borders. It will be in operation day and night, and is the first of the 12 stations which have been completed so far to run on full 24-hour schedule.
W.W. Arsdale will be in charge of the station, with Fay L. Talbot. Leland Nelson and William Boyd as operators." (Visalia Times-Delta)
September 9, 1929: "The giant 8,000,000 candle-power Richfield beacon on top of the Richfield-Visalia Airport tower, is now thoroughly adjusted and sending its long rays out on the government standard of six revolutions to the minute. The big beacon light on top of the tower was set in motion the middle of last week but adjusted to perfection in revolutions and range at the weekend.
The new beacon far surpasses the government department of commerce beacon on the airport, which is only 2,000,000 candle-power. It i8s also much higher. Both will continue to burn, Richfield, not having reached an agreement with the department of commerce by which the government beacon will occupy the position on the top of the tower. This was under consideration for some time and delayed installation of the large beacon visible for forty or miles in the air." (Visalia Times-Delta)
January 23, 1930: "24 inch rotating, 6 r.p.m., 8,000,000 c.p., on Richfield tower; operated sundown to sunrise." (Airway Bulletin, No. 282 (revised))