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Grow Veggies Anywhere – Straw Bale Gardening

Submitted by Tery Susman, UC Master Gardener of Mariposa County MARIPOSA–With Spring right around the corner, it’s easy to imagine a lovely home vegetable garden. You can almost taste a perfectly ripe tomato or a sweet pepper still warm from the sun…but alas…you realize that you don’t have the space for a vegetable garden, or your property is mostly granite, ...

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History Mystery #121: Time Book From 1876

Check out this awesome time book from a century and a half ago! Do you know anything about it or recognize any of the names? Let us know!

This week’s History Mystery is a time book from 1876. It appears to have been used to track work hours and wages. Do you know anything about it? Do you recognize any of the names? Please let us know here in the comments or on the SNO Facebook page! Follow-up to History Mystery #120: North Fork Festival & Loggers Jamboree ...

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An Open Letter From Madera County Assessor Brett Frazier

Image of a row of houses.

Submitted by Madera County Assessor Brett Frazier.  Subject: Correction of Caption Regarding Madera County Assessor Fee Schedule I am writing in response to an inaccurate caption that accompanied a recent Instagram post regarding the Madera County Assessor fee schedule. I would like to address the error and provide clarification on an important point related to this fee. The caption in ...

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Over the Garden Fence: What Happened to My Tomatoes?

Image of green tomatoes growing on a vine.

By Helen Willoughby-Peck, UC Master Gardener of Mariposa Most home gardeners who grow tomatoes have experienced a problem or two caused by diseases or environmental factors which contribute to poor production, foliage damage or plant death. Here are a few of them that you might encounter this summer and possible solutions. Tomato Fruit Set Failure and Flower Drop You might ...

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Over the Garden Fence: Heritage Roses & Mariposa History

Image of a large assortment of various roses.

By UCCE Master Gardener, Christina Oborn. The just-concluded Coulterville Heritage Rose Tour in North County is a good time to remind us South County folks that we too have this tangible link to pioneer history. Mariposa County’s legacy roses have been found in abandoned homesteads, next to old miner’s cabins and ranch homes, on town historic home sites and empty ...

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History Mystery #119: Antique Metal Object

Image of an antique mystery object.

This device was submitted by Jon Norby. We would like to know what this was used for and any other information you may be able to supply. We thank all of our loyal followers of the History Mystery Series. If you have a Mystery from our local area you can submit it to DonGrove1@yahoo.com. If you can provide some information ...

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How a Gold Rush Era Lumber Town Struck Gold a Second Time

Image of the Reel Cowboys banner ad.

Article written by Laurie Waskin of the Reel Cowboys. Special thanks to Kathryn Ellis, Chairperson of the North Fork History Group, for additional information. NORTH FORK — “North Fork” – the evocative name bestowed upon this idyllic 19th century town may sound familiar to western enthusiasts, along with an assumption the locale could have been coined by screenwriters similar to The ...

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History Mystery #118: Cast Iron Object From 1859

Image of a mystery cast iron object from 1859.

Submitted by Karen Morris, Coarsegold Historical Society Chairperson COARSEGOLD — This object belongs to one of the members of the Coarsegold Historical Society. It is made of cast iron and has three separate pieces. There is a patent date April 17, 1849. It was made in 1859. We are looking for any information to pass along to them. The Coarsegold ...

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History Mystery #116: Sam “Long Knife” Clark

Image of a History Mystery item.

By Debby Carter, Sierra Historic Sites Association Sam Clark and his wife, Trudel, were fixtures in Oakhurst for many years. They both had very interesting pasts and loved to tell their stories. They were early members of the Sierra Historic Sites Association, and when Sam died his wife left a large collection of his things to the SHSA, which you ...

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Madera County: A Better Place to Live, Work, and Play

Image of Yosemite National Park at sunset.

By Bobby Macaulay.  As Chief of Staff for Madera County District 5, I often receive calls from residents that can no longer afford to live in the area. Rising costs of living and housing shortages are forcing people to move to more urban areas. No one should have to leave their home to find a more affordable life and better ...

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