Boy delivered the Tribune on horseback

For The Madera Tribune

This temper tantrum thrown by the Fresno River in 1958 was nothing compared to its rage in 1938 when it left its bed and flooded the countryside.

---

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 Avenue 12 a ways, so it wasn't as if he was crossing the plains. He enjoyed the ride, especially if the weather was good.

On this particular morning, however, the weather was definitely not good. It had been storming for several days, and the water was building up on the east side of the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks. If much more rain fell, the water would crest and inundate the farmlands to the west of the Golden State Highway, to say nothing of the Arcola schoolyard.

The young rider, however, was undaunted. Ray Pool was born with a streak of daring, and a little water wasn't going to dampen his spirits. The natural optimism within him contrasted sharply with those pessimistic skies above him on that February morning in 1938.