On the Jan. 15, 1939, Southern Pacific Railroad Schedule there is a stop between Knowles and Knowles Junction off the Raymond train called Hillside, not Hills Pride, like the bar in Knowles, Hillside. In several references, including a 1934 Madera County map, Hillside is listed in an article about Alexander McGilvray, who ran the McGilvray Quarry until 1928 when the ...

SONORA — The California Native Plant Society (CNPS), Sierra Foothills Chapter announces their 2017 symposium “Gardening with Natives: Native Gardening in the Mother Lode – the New Normal,” on Saturday, Sept. 9. “The new normal” refers to the wide shifts in yearly weather conditions that, in recent years, resulted in gardening with a restricted ability to water, persistent drought conditions, ...

Who was Francis? A Lumberjack Mystery “Francis Junction” is on the Bass Lake Ranger District of the Sierra National Forest. But, who was Francis? And, how did that name get attached to that location? Help us solve this History Mystery! Francis Junction was the location where the main line of the Sugar Pine Lumber Company railroad met Line #4, about ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — When fire leads to evacuation, you may have only minutes to react. Notified via text or phone call, or even by a knock on the door, at that moment, you’re expected to grab and go. Quick — where are your pets? What do they need? A little advance planning will reduce stress and increase your chance of ...

Here are two pictures of an item the Coarsegold Museum would like identified. It is made from a single piece of wood maybe during the gold rush era. We believe it to be from the Coarsegold area. It measures 26 1/2″ long, 14 1/2″ wide. It is 5 1/2″ high on one end, and 4 1/4″ high on the other ...

By Roger Mitchell — A few years ago, I was attending a wedding reception, talking to a gentleman who seemed to be very knowledgeable regarding Madera County history. Somehow the subject of the oldest dwelling structure in what is now Madera County came up. I had researched that very subject once, and I felt confident when I expressed the view ...

OAKHURST — Our friend Kevin Musso, Chief Meteorologist at ABC30, was visiting his parents at their home near Oakhurst today, when everyone was reminded once again of the very real danger posed by mountain lions, even in the middle of the day. “My daughter was video taping deer outside the window of my parents’ home near Oakhurst, when suddenly a ...

Does anyone know where this interesting rock formation is located? Does it have a name? The North Fork History Group would like to develop a catalogue of interesting natural formations in the area. If you have any information about this one, or any others, please make comments here, or send to dongrove1@yahoo.com. Don Grove North Fork History Mystery Coordinator HISTORY ...

Written by Elizabeth Gabriel — MARIPOSA COUNTY — Gov. Jerry Brown has declared the drought over – for now — except for Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolumne counties. The latest snowpack numbers showed the Central Sierra is at 168 percent of normal. But that’s no reason to slack off on the water-saving strategies you’ve developed. To help you keep conserving, ...

E Clampus Vitus Grub Gulch 41-49 has been researching the Yosemite Stage Route and the stage stop west of Blackhawk Lodge. This route left Madera, stopped at the Adobe Ranch, then Bates Station, went north and cut westward to the Zebra area. At the end of Longhollow Court in Yosemite Lakes Park is the supposed site of a stage stop, ...