GERTRUDE, CA

GERTRUDE

Madera Co., CA

GERTRUDE WAS located along the Fresno River in what eventually became Madera County, south of the Mariposa area in the western Sierras. The following information comes from a sketch from Carol Lackey via E-mail posting to the Rootsweb Mariposa County Discussion list. She drew it from "The History of Madera County Schools", 1938

“THE GERTRUDE SCHOOL was named "Gertrude" after the wife of the man who, at that time, was running the Gertrude Mine. The Gertrude School started in the boom mining town of Gertrude on the Fresno River. It was a large school district. On the north the county line was the boundary. It followed along the Fresno River and almost over to Course Gold. This whole section was in Fresno County until Madera County was formed in 1893. Since that time it has been in Madera County.

“Miss Jennie Nichols was the first teacher at the Gertrude School. She lived in Fresno Flats (today’s Oakhurst – GBS). For a few years there were as many as 40 children attending school at Gertrude. Gradually the number decreased as the boom town vanished until in 1893 there were no children on that side of the river and those on the other side had a hard time crossing the river in winter to attend school. Mr. W. H. Crooks Jr. was on of the children attending that school. It was decided to move the school away from the old town of Gertrude. It was placed on the Crooks Ranch near the present location of the Crooks store.

“Several other school districts have been formed out of the original Gertrude District. Bailey Flats is one and Cunningham is another, being formed 1914. In 1913 a meeting was called to arrange for a bond election to build a new school. At the election there were 32 voters with 6 or 7 against it. Only one tax payer voter for it, that being Mr. W. H. Crooks Sr. The new school was finally built at the cost of $800. Mr. Crooks donated the land for the school and paid about $500 of the $800. This is the school which is being used now. In 1937 the building was remodeled and is now one of the most modern mountain schools in the county. Written in 1938”

The following came to me via E-mail, from Ray Cannon on September 12, 2004.

“Gertrude, formerly known as Stringtown, was included in the area originally formed as Mariposa County. It was named after the wife of John Haley, owner of Fresno Enterprise Mining Co. It was located on the Fresno River about 4 miles from Ahwahnee. There was a Gertrude Post Office and a Gertrude School. In 1856 the county lines were changed to put Gertrude in Fresno County. In 1893 the lines were again changed to put Gertrude in Madera County. Today there is no Gertrude but the area is still in Madera County. Gertrude became part of Ahwahnee around the turn of the century. I understand that the telephone company has, or is going to, feature Gertrude School on a telephone directory.” Ray Cannon

Thank you Ray!

NOTE from Gary:

GNIS Does not give details of location, but says it was on the Fresno River near the Enterprise Mine. The Fresno River cuts through a pass just north of Potter Ridge, below the Enterprise Mine, so it APPEARS the old town may have been located at the north base of Potter Ridge, along the Fresno River. GNIS lists the Gertrude Post Office as active 1881-1900 (moved 2 miles north to Ahwahnee) in T7S, R20E, which would put it in that area, a couple miles south of Ahwahnee. From the description of the school above, the teacher lived in Fresno Flats, which is Oakhurst today, which would work, as Oakhurst is about five miles east and the area Gertrude sits is at the west end of Fresno Flats. The name came from the wife of John Haley, owner of the Enterprise Mine. It replaced String Town as the name of the community in 1881.

The 1871 Fresno County Directory listed the following businesses are assumed based on the residents being the proprietors of said business: attorney-at-law (he was also a notary & postmaster), general merchandise, hotel, lumber-mill, Post Office (six miles southwest of Fresno Flats, restaurant and saloon. ANY HELP????

This was our GHOST TOWN OF THE MONTH for October 2004.

AHWAHNEE:

· NW¼ Sec 10, T7S, R20E, Mount Diablo Meridian

· Latitude: 37.3654982 / 37° 21’ 56” N

· Longitude: -119.7262667 / 119° 43’ 35” W

ENTERPRISE MINE:

· NW¼ Sec 10, T7S, R20E, Mount Diablo Meridian

· Latitude: 37.3407768 / 37° 20’ 27” N

· Longitude: -119.7401557 / 119° 44’ 25” W

POSSIBLE AREA FOR GERTRUDE:

· SE¼ Sec 2, S½ Sec 1, N ½ Sec 10, T7S, R20E, Mount Diablo Meridian

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