Page 80 - San Luis Obispo Visitors Guide - Summer 2025

80 SUMMER 2025 slovisitorsguide.com
Special Special
Occasion? Occasion?
We Cater! We Cater!
390 Main St., 390 Main St.,
Templeton, CA Templeton, CA
( (805 805) ) 434-2345 434-2345
Santa Maria Santa Maria
Style BBQ Style BBQ
Homemade Sides Homemade Sides
& Salads & Salads
Templeton
Templeton—a small town
with a big history
Templeton is a quaint, sleepy
village these days, but at one
time, the town was a busy center
for travelers and commerce. In the
1800s, the arrival of the railroad
turned small towns into economic
hubs, and Templeton was no excep-
tion to that prosperity.
Spain and the mission padres
were the first to introduce agri-
culture to California, displacing
the original Salinan people in the
process. When Spain was driven
out, the Mexican government sold
or granted the Spanish ranchos to
loyal friends and supporters. That’s
how brothers Daniel and James
Blackburn, along with Lazard God-
chaux, came into possession of the
land in 1857.
The founding of Templeton in
1886 coincided with the arrival
of the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Templeton was the last station
headed south. Passengers traveling
elsewhere boarded stagecoaches
that took them to San Luis Obispo
to catch another outbound stage-
coach.
Reports are that within 90 days,
the town added three hotels, three
general stores, a drug store, two
blacksmith shops, five saloons, a
billiard parlor, a lumber yard, two
barber shops, a public hall, a post
office, and around 30 homes.
Crocker, the
Vice Presi-
dent of the
Southern
Pacific
Railroad.
Crocker
chose the
name Tem-
pleton after
his two-year-old
son. Templeton,
whose full name was
Charles Templeton Crocker,
became quite well known.
Templeton was responsible
for establishing the California
Historical Society as a permanent
organization in 1922. He also wrote
the first American opera to be
produced in Europe, “The Land of
Happiness” or “Fey-Yen-Fah,” and
is credited with popularizing Art
Deco in America.
Templeton funded expeditions
with academic institutions aboard
his personal yacht, the Zaca. In
1930, he sailed around the world,
memorial-
izing the
adventure
in his
book,
“The
Cruise of
the Zaca.”
He sold the
Zaca to the
United States
Navy in 1940. The
Zaca was later pur-
chased by Errol Flynn, who
released a documentary with the
same title as Crocker’s book about a
1946 collection trip taken with his
father, marine biologist Professor
Theodore Flynn.
Preserving history
Templeton area history is
researched and preserved by the
Templeton Historical Museum
Society. For more information about
the museum and hours of operation,
visit templetonmuseum.com.
— Jackie Iddings
In 1889, Southern Pacific ex-
tended the railroad south to Santa
Margarita and moved the railroad
station. Templeton remained a
shipping center for grain, wood,
charcoal, fruit, and cattle to be
transported by train to markets
across the nation.
Why the name ‘Templeton?’
Someone suggested naming
the town Crocker after Charles F.