Early Mexican-era explorers called it out as a landmark that could be seen for miles away across the broad plain of the San Joaquin. But it doesn't exist on most maps today. We go in search of Monte Redondo, today on KVPR's Central Valley Roots.
Let’s first imagine the Central Valley 200 years ago. In most places, the valley floor was virtually flat and largely devoid of trees, with nothing to block the view of the horizon. On many days, without modern pollution, visibility was truly remarkable. So any natural feature in the middle of the valley floor stood out – especially Monte Redondo.
The first reference to its location was in 1825, in the dairy of Sergeant Jose Dolores Pico, from his expedition to the San Joaquin River. It shows up again in another account from 1828. Other references continue through the 1870s.
Most historians today suggest that Monte Redondo was a dense stand of Cottonwood trees and other brush in the middle of the Valley, and place it in Madera County, near the Fresno River. But beyond that, there's little consensus about the precise location and even the nature of the landmark.
Some suggest that it wasn’t in Madera County at all, but was located in the present day City of Fresno, perhaps just west of Pinedale. And with a name that translates to “round mountain,” some suggest it was not in the middle of the valley, but rather close to the foothills.
Official documents from Madera County place it near Avenue 12 and Road 24. But that doesn’t match up with other accounts that place it along the Fresno River. A report from the Army Corps of Engineers suggests that Monte Redondo was located along the Fresno River between Roads 15 and 19. Others place it seven miles west of Madera.
That’s largely consistent with a historic map from 1873 by none other than Josiah Whitney that shows Monte Redondo on an island in the middle of the Fresno River, west of Madera. While all traces of the landmark are gone today, Monte Redondo remains on the California Register of Historic Places.
