Serving the heart of California since 1892

Author: Bill Coate

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September 23, 2026 • Bill Coate

Stagecoach travel was not for faint of heart

It seems so far in the distant past, and yet it hasn’t really been all that long since the only method of transportation from Madera...
September 19, 2026 • Bill Coate

Civil War soldier’s lonely goodbye

This is a rather sad story. It’s about a man who took up arms to fight in the Civil War. He survived, settled in Madera...
September 16, 2026 • Bill Coate

Lincoln School lives again

On June 4, 1910, members of the Madera School Board determined to explore the possibility of building another school on the West side of town....
September 12, 2026 • Bill Coate

Meat cleaver put cook in hot water

Madera’s first Chinese residents came here from the town of Borden. They had arrived at that spot in 1872 with the laying of the Southern...
September 9, 2026 • Bill Coate

Lumber flume meant work and fun

During the 33-year existence of the flume, which gave birth to Madera, more than one billion feet of lumber, floated down the big trough from...
September 5, 2026 • Bill Coate

Sheriff escorted cop killer to gallows

It was Friday morning, and although it was cold and windy in San Quentin, Madera County Sheriff John Barnett was up early. He had a...
September 2, 2026 • Bill Coate

Sunny Nishimoto’s silent acts of forgiveness

Scattered throughout Madera’s past are several quiet heroes — not heroes because of acts of bravery, but heroes because they engaged in silent acts of...
August 29, 2026 • Bill Coate

Madera’s political turf wars began in 1926

For the first 19 years of its existence as an incorporated city, Madera’s political machinery ran without rancor or hard feelings, for the most part....
August 26, 2026 • Bill Coate

Remembering Judge Crocker

The year was 1958, and President Dwight David Eisenhower was looking for a few good judges. Since one of the federal vacancies he was attempting...
August 22, 2026 • Bill Coate

The boy delivered the Tribune on horseback

The teenager saddled his horse, mounted it, and prepared to make his usual trek to Arcola School. He didn’t live far away — just up...

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