Central Valley Roots

FDR's Ponderosa Way: A Depression-era project to stop California wildfires 03.11.2026 1:30 ↓

This firebreak was a Great Depression-era project that aimed to stop wildfires, but today is largely forgotten.

How Abraham Lincoln influenced Fresno's development 02.11.2026 1:30 ↓

Fresno owes its existence in no small part to three laws signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1861-1862.

Fresno's German Syndicate: The land speculators who sparked the Valley's growth 02.11.2026 1:53 ↓

A group of German immigrant land speculators placed a big bet on the potential of the Fresno area in the late 1860s. While most of them eventually went broke, they left a legacy that still exists today.

The story behind Bakersfield's Big Shoe 02.11.2026 1:30 ↓

The building shaped like a shoe is an example of the "programmatic architecture" that once was common across Southern California.

If Clovis is "A Way of Life," what exactly does that mean? 30.10.2026 2:07 ↓

We track down the origins of the city's "Way of Life" slogan, and learn who coined the phrase back in 1970.

Fresno's foremost founding father: Anthony Easterby 29.10.2026 2:13 ↓

Anthony Easterby's farm proved the potential of irrigated agriculture and led the Central Pacific Railroad to found the new town of Fresno nearby.

The curious case of Fresno State's search for a new campus 28.10.2026 1:30 ↓

After World War II, leaders agreed Fresno State needed to move to a new campus. But where to build it proved to be a big problem.

The birth of CSU Bakersfield 27.10.2026 1:30 ↓

When state leaders decided to build a new state college in Kern County, they evaluated sites all over the county.

Royal Porter Putnam and the birth of Porterville 09.07.2026 1:29 ↓

Nestled close the Sierra foothills in Tulare County, Porterville began as a ferry crossing on the Tule River.

Fresno's Maynard Dixon: A pioneering artist of the American West 08.07.2026 1:29 ↓

Dixon's landscape paintings ranged in styles from impressionism to angular modernism, all while capturing the beauty of the Southwestern landscape.

A man-made landmark in Yosemite: The Ahwahnee Hotel 07.07.2026 1:29 ↓

The grand hotel has been a Yosemite Valley icon since 1927, and has hosted presidents and royalty.

Two Fresno-area musicians who had counterculture rock hits in the 1960s: Barry McGuire and Terry Talbot 06.07.2026 1:30 ↓

Barry McGuire and Terry Talbot had their own big hits during the anti-war movement, before they both moved to Fresno and shifted their careers into worship music.

Fresno's Duncan Ceramics Building: a colorful landmark for over 50 years 03.07.2026 1:30 ↓

Fresno-area artist Stan Bitters designed the collection of glazed ceramic reliefs starting in 1969.

The history behind Fresno's Fig Garden Village shopping center 02.07.2026 1:29 ↓

Fig Garden Village was built in the "Town and County" style in the 1950s using reclaimed timbers, bricks and an eclectic design that has made it popular for close to 70 years.

The Mariposa County gold country town with Latino roots: Hornitos 01.07.2026 1:28 ↓

This gold country town was built around a central plaza, in the Mexican tradition.

Tulare's Mefford Field & historic B-17 Flying Fortress 30.06.2026 1:29 ↓

Countless pilots trained at Mefford Field during World War II, and a vintage B-17 nearby is a popular roadside attraction on Highway 99.

Downtown Fresno's Farmer's Market Shopping Center, gone but not forgotten 29.06.2026 1:29 ↓

Patterned after LA's Original Farmer's Market, it was a Fresno landmark from the 1940s through the 1990s.

The story of Fresno's Tower District 28.06.2026 1:58 ↓

The neighborhood is much older than its namesake theater, which was built in 1939 in Fresno's first "streetcar suburb."

The craftsman-style bungalows of the Central Valley 27.06.2026 1:28 ↓

Look in older parts of Fresno, Bakersfield and other cities, and you're likely to find a Craftsman-style bungalow.

1953: When Fresno workers rebuilt America's top fighter jet 26.06.2026 1:29 ↓

North American Aviation established a plant at the Fresno Air Terminal to rebuild F-86 Sabrejets returning from the Korean War for the U.S. Air Force.

Bakersfield's iconic Sill Building: A downtown landmark since 1940 25.06.2026 1:29 ↓

The Streamline Moderne-style building was built in 1940, and once housed a giant neon Coca-Cola sign on its roof.

Merced County's historic town of Snelling 24.06.2026 1:29 ↓

The historic courthouse in Snelling is the oldest in Merced County.

The day in 1953 when 12 different arson fires set downtown Fresno ablaze 23.06.2026 1:29 ↓

Fresno's Hughes Hotel was destroyed on July 10, 1953, and numerous other buildings were damaged in an arson spree that remains unsolved to this day.

She broke the California's Senate's glass ceiling: Dinuba's Rose Ann Vuich 22.06.2026 1:29 ↓

Before Rose Ann Vuich was elected in 1976, the California State Senate was "male, pale and stale."

How the actor who played the Wizard of Oz's Tin Man transformed Madera 21.06.2026 1:29 ↓

Actor Jack Haley was the developer behind several Madera-area projects, including the Madera Ranchos.