Central Valley Roots
KVPR's Central Valley Roots explores the history, people and places of Central California. Discover something new about our region, past and present, with each episode. From Fresno and Bakersfield, to Visalia and Merced, the Central Valley is full of rich stories that make the place we call home special. Send us your question about local history or places to roots@kvpr.org and we might answer it in a future episode. Hear the series on the radio weekdays at 5:06 a.m., 9:04 a.m. and 5:32 p.m. or listen to our podcast.
Latest Episodes
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Kearney helped jumpstart Fresno's development with the agricultural colony system. He was a raisin industry pioneer and left his considerable estate, including mansion and private park to the University of California. -
Voters approved a change to the city's charter in 1993 that upended the way city government works -
Their biggest hit "Come and Get Your Love" has had a resurgence in popularity in recent years, thanks to movies and TV commercials. -
The rural community of Academy, nestled near the foothills east of Clovis, was home to the county's first secondary school. -
Locals feared the worst in July 1965 when the Hell's Angels came to Bass Lake for a "picnic," as documented in Hunter S. Thompson's first book. -
This road is an unusual break from Fresno's street grid or right angles, but there's a story behind its design. -
Grant Grove in today's Kings Canyon National Park was once its own national park named after a famed president and Civil War general. -
While Gabriel Moraga gave the river its current name, Native Americans had their own names for the waterway, dating back thousands of years. -
Plans to build the dam were mired in bureaucratic rivalry in Washington D.C. for years, drawing the attention of two presidents. -
A brilliant engineering solution from the 1870s is still in use today in Kern County.
