At the request of the Madera News-Tribune, I am writing of the early day happenings in what is now the town of Madera and Madera County, and an account of the life of my father, William H. Thurman.
What follows is the part taken by him in these early events. I am doing so in the hope that the very few old-timers still alive will be made to live over again those stirring times and that the younger members of the community may see that we really lived in those days, despite the fact that we had few of the present day conveniences.
To begin with, my father landed in San Diego in 1849, a youth of less than 20 years, freshly discharged from the U.S. Army in which he fought in the war with Mexico. He spent some time traveling throughout the state but finally settled down and devoted most of his attention to the central portion where he engaged in gold mining, cattle raising, hunting, and various other pursuits.