Lewis, Allie T.

Allie T. Lewis was born on October 14, 1888, near present-day Riverdale, Fresno County, California, to parents John B. Lewis and Nannie A. Turner. His father came from Bond County, Illinois, while his mother was a schoolteacher from Monterey County whose father crossed the plains in 1849. Allie attended local public schools in Fresno County and married Miss Ruby Pritchard of Riverdale at the age of twenty-one.

As an adult, Allie operated a 220-acre ranch where he milked thirty cows and raised about 600 head of hogs annually, including prized Poland-China swine like the boar Iowa Wonder. He became known as a skilled stockman, cowboy, and dairyman who significantly advanced the quality of livestock breeding in California. Together with his wife Ruby, with whom he had three children named Vivian, Alyne, and Johnny, he maintained a prominent position in the agricultural and civic life of the Riverdale region.