For The Madera Tribune Judge William Conley winked at the lynching of Victor Adams who had murdered Judge I.L. Baker in 1895. Madera County has generally been a law-abiding place. Most of the time law and order has prevailed. Every once in a while, however, the people have taken things in their own hands by using a rope and the nearest tree to administer justice in old, pioneer fashion. Our local history is filled with such lynchings. The first hanging to occur within the bou

For The Madera Tribune In time the Madera County Courthouse took on this ivy league look. The mood of the crowd was festive. Hundreds had gathered along West Yosemite Avenue to witness the historic occasion and to enjoy a community barbecue. Women in Victorian era dresses and men in suits clustered around the crane, which was setting the cornerstone. The date was Oct. 29, 1900, and in what seemed the quintessential symbol of modernity, Madera celebrated its entrance into the

So, it seems the U.S. Treasury has finally done it. They have decided to stop making the penny. I am curious to know what this transition will do for those of us who like to pay cash for things. Will we get the correct change back? Will they round up or will they round down? Who will get the benefit of the rounding, the customer or the store? These are all important questions.  The news about the penny made me think about how valuable a penny can be. I remember a time, early

For The Madera Tribune This tornado raised the roof in Madera in 1967. April 1967 is a date that will always be a piece of Madera’s recorded history. Heavy spring rains in that year created such havoc that they prompted state legislators to call for the area to be designated a disaster area. Damage in the millions of dollars hit Madera County farmers, and 10,000 acres of farmland lay under water. Then, as if to add insult to injury, a tornado struck the area. Ernest Sagouspe

For The Madera Tribune Fresno Flats, circa 1880. Gold! The discovery of the precious metal along the Fresno River brought thousands of placer miners into Madera County, and by 1851, they were calling their gathering Fresno Flats. Over the years, Fresno Flats emerged from its tent city status to take on all of the characteristics of a settled community. In time the town could boast of two hotels, a rooming house, five saloons, a grocery store, and a general merchandise store.

For The Madera Tribune This old-time Madera saloon was the scene of a bloody stabbing between two card partners in 1901. The donnybrook broke out on Saturday night, Dec. 1, 1901, when four men sat down to play a game of Pedro. Robert Tuggle and Sam Monahan were playing against Jim Robertson, the bartender, and his partner, Frank Littlefield. The contest was going along in a friendly manner until Monahan misplayed his hand and lost the game, which upset Tuggle who could not re

Courtesy of the Coate family archives Guest columnist Frank Coate is pictured here, right with his father, John Coate. [Note: Today’s column was written by Frank Coate, Bill Coate’s nephew and author of “The Coate Closet.”] • • • He crouched in the brush and remained as still as humanly possible on that hot summer day. Although his heart was racing, somehow he managed to control his breathing. He had never fired a gun or pulled the trigger on a crossbow, let alone throw a spe

For The Madera Tribune The waters of the Fresno River smash against the D Street bridge in the storm of 1955. Nothing is permanent but change. That is particularly true of the weather. Maderans have always approached the winter season casting worried and frequent looks at the skies. Too often drought conditions have made them wonder if there would ever be enough water.  In 1955, however, it was a different story. They still looked toward the skies, but this time they wondered