Madera County, officially the County of Madera, is a county at the geographic center of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 156,255. The county seat is Madera.
Oakhurst is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madera County, California, United States, 14 miles (23 km) south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. At the 2020 census, the population was 5,945, up from 2,829 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Madera metropolitan statistical area.
The Merced River, in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a 145-mile (233 km)-long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and steep course through the southern part of Yosemite National Park, where it is the primary watercourse flowing through Yosemite Valley. The river's character changes dramatically once it reaches the plains of the agricultural San Joaquin Valley, where it becomes a slow-moving meandering stream.
Sierra National Forest is a U.S. national forest located on the western slope of central Sierra Nevada in Central California and bounded on the northwest by Yosemite National Park and the south by Kings Canyon National Park. The forest is known for its mountain scenery and beautiful lakes. Forest headquarters are located in Clovis, California. There are local ranger district offices in North Fork and Prather.
Bass Lake is a popular recreational area located in Madera County, California, within the Sierra National Forest, approximately 14 mi (23 km) miles south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park. Formed by the Crane Valley Dam on Willow Creek, a tributary to the San Joaquin River, the lake is approximately four miles long and one-half mile wide. The 145 ft (44 m) concrete gravity dam was completed in 1910 by Pacific Gas and Electric. Releases from the dam drive a hydro-electric powerplant. The lake supports a diverse ecosystem, including species such as black bears, mule deer, bald eagles, and Great blue herons, along with a variety of fish species.
North Fork is a unincorporated community in Madera County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census it had a population of 3,250. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined North Fork as a census-designated place (CDP). North Fork is part of the Madera Metropolitan Statistical Area and is home to the tribal headquarters of the Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California.
Camp Tawonga is a 160-acre residential Jewish summer camp located on the middle fork of the Tuolumne River, a few miles west of Yosemite National Park, in the Stanislaus National Forest. The camp operates as a non-profit organization and is affiliated with the Jewish Community Center Association. The camp is located in Groveland, California, although the nearest town is actually a tiny area called Buck Meadows. Tawonga has its main office in San Francisco. Many attendees come from the San Francisco Bay Area, but attendees from Israel, Los Angeles, and other states are often present as well.
The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad (YMSPRR) is a historic 3 ft narrow gauge railroad with two operating steam train locomotives located near Fish Camp, California, in the Sierra National Forest near the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park. Rudy Stauffer organized the YMSPRR in 1961, utilizing historic railroad track, rolling stock and locomotives to construct a tourist line along the historic route of the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company.
The Fresno River is a river in Central California and a major tributary of the San Joaquin River. It runs approximately 83 miles (134 km) from the Sierra Nevada Range to the San Joaquin River if measured from the source of Rainier Creek, near Raymond Mountain in Yosemite National Park. Although called the 'Fresno' River, it is one of the largest and longest river systems in Madera County.
National Park Service rustic – sometimes colloquially called Parkitecture – is a style of architecture that developed in the early and middle 20th century in the United States National Park Service (NPS) through its efforts to create buildings that harmonized with the natural environment. Since its founding in 1916, the NPS sought to design and build visitor facilities without visually interrupting the natural or historic surroundings. The early results were characterized by intensive use of hand labor and a rejection of the regularity and symmetry of the industrial world, reflecting connections with the Arts and Crafts movement and American Picturesque architecture.
Ducey's Bass Lake Lodge, originally known as Freeman's Bass Lake Lodge, is a historic establishment situated on the northern shore of Bass Lake. Constructed by Buddy Freeman in 1941, the lodge, which initially consisted of a bar, restaurant, and rental cabins, was sold several times before its incorporation into The Pines Resort in 1975. Under the management of various owners, notably Maurice and Marie Ducey, the lodge saw the addition of a general store and campgrounds and an expansion of its unique collection of artifacts.
Mono Hot Springs is a summer resort and campground at a group of hot springs in Fresno County, central California. It is located within the Sierra National Forest, 70 miles (110 km) northeast of Fresno via California State Route 168.
Wishon is a former settlement in Madera County, California. It has been inundated by Bass Lake.
Yosemite Lakes Park is an unincorporated community in Madera County, California. It lies at an elevation of 1,230 feet (370 m). As a census-designated place (CDP) it is known as Yosemite Lakes. It is part of the Madera Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,022 at the 2020 census.
The Hodgdon Homestead Cabin was built by Jeremiah Hodgdon in 1879 in the Aspen Valley area of what became Yosemite National Park. The two-story log cabin, measuring 22 feet (6.7 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m), was located in an inholding in the park, owned by Hodgdon's descendants. In the 1950s the family proposed to demolish the structure. The National Park Service acquired it and moved it to its Pioneer Yosemite History Center at Wawona, where the restored cabin is part of an exhibit on early settlement and development of the Yosemite area. In addition to housing Hogdon, the cabin housed workers on the Great Sierra Wagon Road in the 1880s, as a patrol cabin for U.S. Army troops who managed the new national park in the 1890s, and as a historic landmark at the old Aspen Valley Resort.
The High Sierra Camps are nine rustic lodging facilities located in two national parks and a national monument in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. Open most years from June or July to September, they are staffed camps with tent cabins and food service facilities. The backcountry camps receive their supplies by pack mules.
The Sugar Pine Lumber Company was an early 20th century logging operation and railroad in the Sierra Nevada. Unable to secure water rights to build a log flume, the company operated the “crookedest railroad ever built." They later developed the Minarets-type locomotive, the largest and most powerful saddle tank locomotive ever made. The company was also a pioneer in the electrification of logging where newly plentiful hydroelectric power replaced the widespread use of steam engines.
Jones Store, located in the Sierra Nevada at an elevation of approximately 6,800 feet (2,073 m), is a seasonal country store 14 miles (23 km) miles from Bass Lake along Beasore Road. Founded in the early 20th century to supply cowboys on their seasonal herding routes, the store has historic ties to founder Tom Beasore, one of Fresno County's first deputy sheriffs. Later on, the store came under the management of Tom Jones, whose name it still carries. Today, Jones Store is recognized as a notable stop on the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway.
Located on Bass Lake within the Sierra National Forest, The Pines Resort is the only lakeside resort in the Yosemite area. This resort is on the North Shore of Bass Lake, 17 miles (27 km) miles from the Southern entrance of Yosemite National Park and an hour's drive north from Fresno. Accommodations range from fully equipped cabins to hotel suites. The Pines Resort operates a full-service marina that offers boat rentals and hosts two restaurants on-site. Additionally, the resort sits within the Pines Village, a community hub that includes a grocery market, a bar, and an array of other shops.
The following is a timeline of the history of the Sierra National Forest in Central California, United States.
