The Allensworth Hotel was situated in the town section within easy walking distance of the Sante Fe depot and Central Valley Road.  At the time the hotel was built, Allensworth enjoyed the business of transient businessmen, drummers, ranchers and tourists.  Considerable traffic through Allensworth came via rail and the Central Valley Road.  Central Valley Road, like the railroad it paralleled, connected the northern and southern ends of Tulare County.  Unlike the typical county road, this dirt road had an oiled surface.

Before Sante Fe completed a spur track to Alpaugh, five miles west of Allensworth, the town had a regular freight business.  Grain grown on the Tulare Lake Basin, west of town was shipped form the Allensworth depot until the Alpaugh spur completed in 1914, diverted the grain business. 

Commercially grown grain from nearby ranches was stored at the warehouse until shipped out on the Sante Fe.  Laborers and ranchers involved in handling the grain were a ready source of business for the hotel and other commercial establishments.

Allensworth Hotel, opened circa 1910 under the proprietorship of Mrs. Clara Morris and her husband John Morris, functioned continuously for several decades under a number of different managers.  Mrs. Morris operated the hotel until sometime around 1915. Other proprietors of the Allensworth Hotel during its first two decades were:

Mrs. Elvia Woods 1916-1917

Mrs. Nannie Coleman 1917-1922

Mrs. Regiana Mattox 1922-1924

Mrs. Alice Hackett 1924-1927

Clara Morris and her husband John, moved to Allensworth from Bakersfield where they had operated a successful catering business.  During the Morris' five year tenure at Allensworth Hotel, John Morris, a machinist, serviced will digging machines, traction engines, and various other mechanical irrigation equipment widely used in the local agricultural business.  Mr.. Morris' machine shop was located in the rear of the hotel.

A night's lodging was available to travelers for 75 cents and local residents often used the facility too.  In particular, the youth used the hotel's dining room and player piano for their periodic parties.  Furniture would be moved and tables stacked so that there was ample space for the evening frolics.  On these occasions, young men would be invited from Tulare.

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