Facts about Fresno County: Page 22

Actually Page 21 ended with just a bit about the small little town outside of Fresno. It was called Clovis. Maybe you’ve heard about it?

You might think that the whole of Page 22 would then be filled with glowing remarks about the town of Clovis but amazingly, this is all there is!

What? just three sentences? Ok first of all, describing Clovis in 1900 as simply the end of the flume? Really? That’s the best you got?

Then going on with a very modest description of the land being “fertile” for Fruit Trees, Raisins, and Wine Grapes only to leave it with “Men of moderate means find this an attractive point“?

Looking back in the previous pages, the Town of Laton got a solid full paragraph. Was it just because they built a fence to keep Fresno out?.

The Town of Fowler got a pretty full paragraph too!

Now, to be perfectly fair, the towns of Sanger, Reedley and Selma each had their own small paragraph which made perfectly good sense at the time we were reviewing them.

Adding a little to their original paragraph.. We know that Clovis was incorporated in 1912.

The City of Clovis derives its name from Clovis M. Cole, a community-oriented pioneer who dedicated a significant portion of his life to the region. The vicinity was renowned for its vast expanses of wheat, cultivated by Cole in Fresno County. The initial notions of establishing a settlement, however, are attributed to Padre Martin, who explored the area in 1806 while in search of a suitable mission location. Missionaries and trappers were the first outsiders to traverse the region, preceding the arrival of miners during the gold rush era. This influx displaced numerous Native American tribes who had previously inhabited the foothills and resided near the rivers.

Closer to the date of publication for our pamphlet (which was the year 1900), we know that Marcus Pollasky, another early settler, proposed and organized the construction of a railroad that would traverse the agricultural, ranching, and mining territories, reaching the abundant timber resources in the nearby Sierra region. Over time, the City of Clovis emerged around the San Joaquin Division of the Southern Pacific Railroad, a pivotal catalyst in the establishment and expansion of Clovis. The advent of the “Iron Horse” was accompanied by other crucial factors that solidified the foundation of Clovis in 1891, including the completion of the 42-mile-long Shaver log flume (this is the flume they mentioned earlier), the establishment of the 40-acre Clovis mill and finishing plant, the growth of grain production, and the flourishing livestock industry.

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FresYes Writing Team

We say “Yes and” to our community, which we love to work and live in. We always speak positively about our growing business, each other and the Fresno community. We are proud to support local businesses, engage in what’s happening in our community and lovingly participate in as many volunteer activities as we can as individuals and as a collective group. We are generous and we are proud to give back.

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