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By Bill Coate - The Madera Tribune

The steamer J.R. McDonald, flying a United States flag from a Mendota school, docks on the Madera side of the San Joaquin River at Skaggs Bridge in 1911. It was the last time a riverboat steamer was ever to navigate so far south.

Photo by: For The Madera Tribune

With its paddle wheel churning water, the J.R. McDonald steams toward Skaggs Bridge in 1911 in one last attempt to revive riverboat travel on the San Joaquin River.

Photo by: For The Madera Tribune

All eyes seem to be on the San Joaquin River these days, now that Christopher Beaver's documentary, "Tales of the San Joaquin," has been released for public consumption. Some are cheering the film while others are crying "foul." Some think that it tells a true and balanced story, and others charge that it is biased in favor of environmentalists over the interests of agriculture.

"Tales of the San Joaquin" begins by acknowledging that thousands upon thousands of acres of land have been made fertile from the waters of the San Joaquin. It then shows how the river has changed over the years.

Beside reminding us that salmon no longer make their way up the river, Beaver points out that steamboat traffic on the San Joaquin is likewise a thing of the past, and that got me to thinking about the last steamboat ever to travel up the river.

As the plains of what is now Madera County were opened up to civilization in the 1860s, transportation was obviously of paramount concern. Although basic supplies could be obtained at the little towns of Millerton or Firebaugh, both of which were twenty miles away from the first settlers of Madera County, Stockton and San Francisco served as the source of most of the necessities of life for these intrepid pioneers.

Most of the goods came by wagon down the Millerton Road; however, some merchandise reached the pioneers of the Valley via the steamboats that plied the waters of the San Joaquin. George Washington Mordecai recorded in 1868 that some of his supplies reached him at the Sycamore Landing near the present day location of Herndon Bridge.

The river trade, however, dwindled after the railroads began steaming up and down the valley in 1872, and by the end of the 19th century it had ended altogether. Then in 1911, efforts to revive the river transportation suddenly emerged.

A committee of Madera and Fresno residents enticed the owner of the "J.R. McDonald," a paddle wheel steamer piloted by Captain C.P. McMurty, to attempt a trial trip up the San Joaquin to demonstrate two points. First, they wanted to show that the San Joaquin River was still navigable as far as Skaggs Bridge. Second, the committee wanted to point out that "there was a real and well-defined need for improvement of the waterway that had been neglected through its entire length." On both points the committee acquitted itself admirably.

It was 10 A.M. Friday, June 9, 1911, that the steamboat left Stockton pulling a barge loaded with 123 tons of freight, bound for Madera and Fresno Counties. Captain McMurty was at the helm. Having been a veteran of the San Joaquin River trade during its heyday of the 1860s, he was anxious to prove the viability of the riverboat as a commercial conveyance.

Shortly after leaving San Francisco, the ship's flagstaff was broken, and the flag was left on the Stockton dock. By the time that the vessel reached Mendota, the flag from the school house in that place was pressed into service. It flew from the deck of the J.R. McDonald for the remainder of the trip.

It took six days for the McDonald to reach Skaggs Bridge, and when it appeared, there were hundreds who lined both banks of the river to greet it. As the boat eased up to the dock, three rousing cheers for the steamer and her skipper went up and were answered by three blasts from the ship's whistle. At that point the assembled citizens swarmed all over the boat as soon as it was made fast to the landing.

When order was resumed, the huge celebration proceeded, as one young lady smashed a bottle of San Joaquin River water against the port cavil with the words, "I christen thee 'Fresno' and long may you ply the river thereon."

On the Fresno County side of the river, Chamber of Commerce President Wylie M. Giffen and Chief of Police William Shaw led the reception. On the Madera side, where the boat was actually docked, Fresno Mayor Chester Rowell led the celebration. There were at least 250 automobiles on the Madera shore.

Mayor Rowell spoke briefly from the top of the freight heap on the barge, emphasizing the success of the entire venture and encouraging the federal government to join in the effort to improve the river for permanent navigation.

Much credit was given to the skill of Captain McMurty in guiding the streamer through places almost unknown, to her destination. McMurty was introduced to Mayor Rowell and the committee, whereupon the captain was presented with a large bouquet of carnations and two boxes of cigars. After a private reception in the pilothouse, McMurty expressed the opinion that "The river should be navigable as far as Herndon." It was even suggested that were it not for immovable bridges, steamboat navigation would be possible as far as "old Millerton."

Throughout the day, a continuous crowd of people came to view the steamboat. It was estimated that at least 3,000 people from Madera, Fresno, and nearby ranches visited the vessel before nightfall. The work of unloading began the next day, and among the Madera firms receiving freight were the Rochdale Company and the Rosenthal-Kutner store. On the following day, the steamer set sail for its return trip to Stockton.

The much-heralded voyage of the McDonald proved to be a beautiful anachronism. Steamboat travel on the San Joaquin was dead forever. The effort to revive it did make one lasting contribution, however. It left river lovers something to talk about (and even film) for decades to come. Perhaps that was the subconscious motive of those folks back in 1911. Maybe they just wanted to restore some dignity to this vital source of life in the Valley.

Bill Coate William "Bill" Coate is a San Joaquin Valley historian, author, television personality and retired public school teacher with 36 years of classroom experience. He is the award-winning founder of the Madera Method, a research-based educational program that uses primary source materials to help students explore history. He writes about the past of our nation and valley with a weekly column and story. He also writes articles pertaining to local schools. The Madera Tribune online subscription To subscribe or log on, CLICK HERE. For more information first, CLICK HERE.