Hanky-panky in the Fountain Saloon
When Madera turned the corner into the 20th century and voted to incorporate in 1907, it had to elect a city council to pass the ordinances that would regulate life in the county seat. Chief among the concerns in those early days were the saloons that lined Yosemite, and at the top of the list […]
1914 Raisin Queen contest generated heat
Maderans in the early part of the 20th century weren’t completely preoccupied with politics; after all there was going to be a contest to choose some local high school girl to represent Madera in the California Raisin Day Celebration in Fresno. April 30, 1914 was set as the day for pulling out the stops and […]
Saroyan remembered Madera High students
William Saroyan didn’t seem to need anyone’s approval. He almost never went to a college or university to speak because, as he said, “I can’t be bothered; it’s too much trouble and just a little silly.” However, on Jan. 27, 1977, he came to Madera High School to speak. Let me tell you how that […]
Madera remembered Jim Savage
As difficult as it may be for the 21st century mind to grasp, there once was a time when Major James Savage was thought to be a hero in Madera. In fact, on April 23, 1951, more than 100 local folks held a California Centennial program at his grave, which was then located on land […]
“Captain R.P Mace passes peacefully away.”
“Pioneer’s passing sent Madera into mourning” Madera Mercury — April 26, 1894 “At 3:15 A.M. Tuesday, the Grim Messenger came and called from our midst that noble and grand, good old man, Captain Russel P. Mace. Mr. Mace had been in comparatively good health most of the winter, and up until recently no immediate danger […]
Lucca’s Restaurant stirs strong memories
An inferno of flames stabbed at the darkness on Monday, Sept. 10, 1973. Lucca’s restaurant was ablaze, and according to retired Fire Chief, Alden Potter, it was the worst fire in town since the Madera Theater burned in 1941. Losses from the restaurant fire were estimated at $250,000. Bystanders could hardly believe their eyes. There […]
Madera firefighters saved lives
As Maderans neared the end of the 1920s, they were full of optimism. Prospects of oil wells on the outskirts of town danced in the heads of some local capitalists, while others dreamed of raising the funds to build a brand new, four-story hotel on Yosemite Avenue. In the end, however, both schemes failed, and […]
Why Madera’s country schools gave up the ghost
The California gold rush was still in its infancy when Californians sat down to write their state constitution in 1849, and even in those rough and tumble frontier days, public education was at the fore of everyone’s mind. What followed in the wake of the subsequent population explosions in the Golden State was the proliferation […]
Sheriff saw Berenda coming
When Fresno County Sheriff Leroy Dennis chose not to run for reelection in 1872, he decided to move to a little spot in the north end of the county where the Southern Pacific Railroad had just built a freight depot. Dennis was certain that a town would grow up around the depot, and he wanted […]
Whence came Ronn Dominici?
It must have seemed like a cruel joke, and indeed it was cruel, but it was no joke. The young Italian immigrant had come to America, found work and sent for his wife and child. In 1911 the mother and son arrived in Madera and the family was together once again. Then in 1914, the […]