Locals and visitors celebrate Founders Day in Templeton
Blacksmith demonstrations and antique displays highlight Templeton’s early days
– Saturday, hundreds of people strolled through historic museums and the blacksmith shop in Templeton to learn about the history of the town.
Several men demonstrated use of the old Blacksmith Shop, which has been preserved. Young people were also given the opportunity to work with historic tools.
Old tractors and cars lined Main Street in Templeton. Many of the tractors were rebuilt by young people who live in and around Templeton. Inside the museum, Templeton’s 1933 yellow School Bus looked brand new. The bus was completely restored after being discovered discarded and in complete disrepair.
The town of Templeton was founded in 1886 when the West Coast Land Company set aside 160 acres of their 63,000-acre purchase within the former Rancho Paso de Robles Mexican land grant. The town was initially named “Crocker” after Southern Pacific Railroad Vice President Charles F. Crocker. But Crocker elected to name it after his two-year-old son, Charles Templeton Crocker.
Templeton served as the southern end of the line for train passengers traveling south from Northern California. Then, they would be transported by stagecoach to San Luis Obispo. In 1889, the line was extended to Santa Margarita.
