local history

This innovative development model began south of Fresno in 1875 and was quickly replicated throughout the region, leading to the growth of small, owner-occupied farms.

At 10 stories tall, the steel-framed office building set the model for most of downtown Fresno's other tall buildings in the following two decades.

While the bulk of the California Gold Rush took place from Mariposa north, the Central California foothills to the south also had a great deal of mining activity.

These Valley roadways mark important "grid correction" lines that date back to a system devised by Thomas Jefferson.

A planned mega-development along the river in the late 1980s spurred three women to start the San Joaquin River Parkway & Conservation Trust.

Mariposa County's courthouse was completed in 1854 and has been in service ever since.

John C. Fremont got lucky when he mistakenly purchased the Las Mariposas ranch.

The last grizzly bear in California was seen in the 1920s in Sequoia National Park.

When it was created in 1850, Mariposa covered 30,000 square miles, or about 1/5th of the entire state.

The Central Valley's love affair with the automobile has helped influence American culture.