Stockton, CA - Here's a familiar sight for travelers heading up and down HIghway 99 as they reach the outskirts of Stockton. It's hard not to miss the huge roadside sign topped by a chicken. Yes, you've just reached Pollardville.

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Pollardville
Stockton, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Like many of the old businesses that line the old route 99, the Pollardville Amusement Center is in the process of closing down. The Pollardville Palace Saloon will close its doors on March 31, following with the Chicken Restaurant honored with a closing ceremony on April 1. Originally opened in 1944 as the Chicken Kitchen Restaurant, the restaurant moved in 1957 to its current location along Highway 99 between Stockton and Lodi and started the Pollardville complex.

After a fire destroyed the original restaurant, the Polynesian-themed Islander Restaurant was moved from Pacific Avenue in Stockton to Pollardville in the mid-1980's.

Pollardville
Stockton, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Efforts continue in an attempt to save the 1870's era Jamestown Jail, which is part of the Pollardville site. According to the December 28, 2006 edition of the Union Democrat, The Irving J. Symons Foundation, in connection with the Sonora Area Foundation, has pledged money to pay for about half the cost of returning the Jamestown Jail to the county. The move must be made before Pollardville is bulldozed this spring. 01-03

Pollardville
Stockton, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Traveling Highway 99 between Stockton and Lodi, it was hard to miss Pollardville. A giant chicken perched on top of the roadside sign, inviting travelers to pull in for a meal. But the Chicken Kitchen was only the beginning. Behind the restaurant was a whole Old West town to explore.

The Chicken Kitchen began in 1944 and moved to this stretch of Highway 99 in 1957. Over time, the Pollard family built up the attraction around it. The ghost town had storefronts, a jail brought from Jamestown, and pieces of the movie set from The Big Country. There was even a little train. What started as a stop for chicken could take up a good part of the afternoon.

After a fire destroyed the original restaurant, the Polynesian-themed Islander Restaurant was moved from Pacific Avenue in Stockton to Pollardville in the mid-1980's.

Pollardville Chicken Kitchen
Stockton, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Palace Showboat Dinner Theatre added another reason to stay. Visitors could watch a show, roam the town, and then head back to the restaurant. When a fire destroyed the original Chicken Kitchen in 1984, the family found an unusual replacement: Stockton’s former Polynesian-themed Islander Restaurant. The building was moved to Pollardville and reopened as the Chicken Kitchen in 1987. A bit of the tropics had found its way into the Old West.

By 2007, Pollardville’s days were coming to an end. The Palace closed on March 31, followed by a farewell ceremony for the Chicken Kitchen on April 1. There was hope, though, for the old Jamestown Jail. It was dismantled, taken back to Jamestown, and reconstructed using its original plans.

The Palace
Stockton, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE: Demolition began at Pollardville on April 13, 2010. When the site was photographed the following year, the buildings were gone, but the tall roadside sign was still standing. Its giant chicken had greeted Highway 99 travelers for years, long enough for a lot of people to remember exactly where they used to turn off for dinner and a trip through the ghost town. 09-26

Notice the FOR SALE sign
Stockton, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE: Like many of the old businesses that line the old route 99, the Pollardville Amusement Center is in the process of closing down. The Pollardville Palace Saloon will close its doors on March 31, following with the Chicken Restaurant honored with a closing ceremony on April 1. Originally opened in 1944 as the Chicken Kitchen Restaurant, the restaurant moved in 1957 to its current location along Highway 99 between Stockton and Lodi and started the Pollardville complex.

Wonder what happened to the employee parking
Stockton, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Efforts continue in an attempt to save the 1870's era Jamestown Jail, which is part of the Pollardville site. According to the December 28, 2006 edition of the Union Democrat, The Irving J. Symons Foundation, in connection with the Sonora Area Foundation, has pledged money to pay for about half the cost of returning the Jamestown Jail to the county. The move must be made before Pollardville is bulldozed this spring. 01-03

UPDATE: The jail has not only been dismantled, moved and now reconstructed, but it has been done to original blueprints and looks quite different from that which existed in Pollardville.  See www.jamestown-ca.com for more information. Many thanks to Stephen Willey, Proprietor for update. 03-08

UPDATE: Demolition started early in the morning on the Pollardville roadside attraction off of Highway 99 on Tuesday April 13, 2010. The former Chicken Kitchen and Palace Showboat Dinner Theater were unceremoniously razed after time ravaged the buildings. Pollardville had closed down three years ago. Here are photos taken in March 2010 prior to demolition. 04-10

One of Pollardville's Tenants Stockton, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Graffiti marked Palace Showboat Stockton, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Time waits for nothing Stockton, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	The Chicken Kitchen showed significant deterioration Stockton, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE: Here are photos from 2011 after the buildings and attractions had been demolished. The sign was still standing but looked long for wear. 08-13

Pollardville vacant lot Stockton, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Pollardville remaining sign Stockton, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

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