Named for the abundant ash trees lining the San Joaquin River, Fresno was founded in 1872 as a railway station of the Central Pacific Railroad before it was incorporated in 1885.

In 1900, the city of Fresno, which had incorporated fif­teen years earlier, was the county metropolis, a true Victo­rian city with its horse-car lines, dirt streets, and wood side­walks. C. J. Craycroft was finishing the unexpired term of Joseph Spinney as mayor.

History of Fresno. Fresno was founded by the Central Pacific Railroad Company in 1872. The location for the town was uninviting at best, with barren sand plains in all directions. Leland J. Stanford, a Director for the Railroad, is credited with selecting the site of the new station.

To understand why the Hmong came to Fresno, one needs to understand their tumultuous history. The Hmong lived in tightly knit groups in the hills of Laos, who were organized by the French to fight the growing communist movements in Vietnam and Laos, starting in the 1950s.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Fresno, California, USA. 1856 – Fresno County formed in 1856 with Millerton, a settlement along the San Joaquin River, as the county seat. [1] 1865 – William Helm brings his wife and his sheep to the valley floor area south of Millerton. [2] 1870 - Weekly Expositor newspaper in publication.

For over 100 years, the Fresno County Historical Society has worked to collect and preserve the records and artifacts that document the people of the Central Valley of California by operating the Kearney Mansion Museum & Gallery and maintaining …

Mar 31, 2025 · One of the most significant developments in Fresno’s agricultural history was the introduction of the raisin industry. In the 1870s, Francis T. Eisen developed a method for sun-drying grapes, leading to the creation of California’s famous raisin industry. By the early 20th century, Fresno had become the largest raisin-producing region in ...

In 1872, with the development of a railroad line through the valley, the town of Fresno was created. It took its name from the ash trees native to the valley (Fresno is the Spanish word for "ash tree"). Fresno grew rapidly, but still remained in many ways a typical frontier town.

Feb 18, 2025 · Fresno, city, seat (1874) of Fresno county, central California, U.S. The town site—located in the San Joaquin Valley, about 190 miles (305 km) southeast of San Francisco —was settled in 1872 as a station on the Central (later Southern) Pacific Railroad.

Jul 2, 2008 · History of Fresno County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present by Vandor, Paul E., 1858-