For The Madera Tribune Judge Conley practiced gender equality in Madera’s Court. William Conley was Madera County’s first judge. He was elected to that position in 1893, and over the next few decades, a steady stream of law-breakers paraded in front of him, including murderers, embezzlers, extortionists, and robbers. In 1916, however, he was faced with one of the most perplexing cases ever brought before his court, and by the time the dust had settled, Conley found himself sq

For The Madera Tribune Frank Bigelow, great Grandson of Harmon Bigelow, founder of the Ponderosa Telephone Company. I first met the Bigelows while working at Spring Valley School a long time ago. Jess Bigelow was a major patron of the school’s 4-H club and spent a lot of money buying their animals at the Madera and Chowchilla fairs. Of course it wasn’t long before I found out about the connection between the Bigelow family and the Ponderosa Telephone Company, and that is a hi

For The Madera Tribune Barnstormer leaves Madera. On March 29, 1912, hundreds of Maderans gathered at the city’s baseball park, where the National Guard Armory now stands, but they weren’t there to watch the Coyotes play ball. In the first place it was too early. No baseball team got up at 6:30 in the morning to play a game. What piqued the interest of this crowd was Madera’s first ever airplane landing and takeoff. D.E. Francis was coming to town. Francis, a professional bar

For The Madera Tribune George Washington Mordecai, circa 1890. As the little town of Madera was growing up in the 19th century, several important politicians visited here. Presidents, former Presidents, and would-be Presidents met at Captain Mace’s hotel on the corner of E and Yosemite Avenue to begin a journey that would take them to the Big Trees and beyond. One of these was General Ulysses S. Grant, and before he left Madera, he met an old adversary that would one day beco

For The Madera Tribune The Brown house on Yosemite Ave. in 1920. Although I am not anxious to go there permanently, I do love to visit Arbor Vitae Cemetery. Not only is it beautiful, it is the final resting place of so many folks whom I have met through the years while doing research for this column.  Just the other day, I went out to stroll up and down the rows looking for my friends from the past. First there was Dr. Joseph Borden and Levin Sledge, two members of the Alabam

For The Madera Tribune The Borden Hotel. When the folks in charge of the High Speed Rail began to talk of starting the project at Borden,...

For The Madera Tribune From left are Emma Josephine Bethards, her grandmother Josephine Eugenia Lentz Bethards, and sister Millie Ellen...

For The Madera Tribune Madera’s new high school, built in 1904. Madera was founded in 1876 as part of Fresno County. During its first two...