Madera disappointed Fresno on the 4th

For The Madera Tribune

In 1889, there was no crowd at the Yosemite Hotel to greet the folks from Fresno who had come to celebrate the 4th of July, much to their disappointment.

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The special train to Madera which was advertised to leave Fresno at 8 o’clock on the morning of July 4th, 1889, did not leave until about 9:30, but that was only the first of many indignities that the Fresno folks would suffer that day. According to a Fresno newspaperman, “Every one of the six passenger coaches was filled to overflowing with perspiring humanity who endured the wait of an hour and a half with remarkable fortitude and patience.” 

It’s a pity our neighbors to the south didn’t have a clue as to how disappointed they would really be before it was all over. The Fresno Expositor’s reporter recounted the entire affair.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE TRAIN AT MADERA

“Our arrival in Madera was followed by a shock which was very much like pouring a pitcher of ice water down our necks. Usually, when two companies of local militia, accompanied by from 400 to 600 citizens, leave a city to visit, at their own expense, a country village and make a Fourth of July celebration for it, there is at the depot to meet the visitors a reception committee of some sort to welcome the guests. Not so at Madera!”