In 1844, when John C. Fremont crossed the valley near
Fresno, he noted in his diary great herds of elk, antelope
and wild horses. Back then, the Native American Yokuts were
masters of the Valley.
.
Fresno County has several unique features which
combine to make it outstanding. In a period of 100
years, it grew from a soggy marsh in spring and a summer
barren wasteland into a garden of Eden. This growth was
possible due to rich soil, the genius of those who realized
the possibility of irrigation, the managerial skill of
several early leaders, and the brawn and hard work of
average farmers who came from all corners of the world. This
combination has made Fresno the agribusiness capitol of the
world.
The town of Fresno Station was established in
1872 when the Central Pacific R.R. pushed south across the
San Joaquin River. The first commercial district was on H
Street, between Fresno and Tulare streets, across from the
train station, and consisted of a tent store, a board shack
for a restaurant, and the first well. Horses were as
important as people so a shack for hay and water featured a
sign, "Horse Restaurant."
From that modest beginning Fresno has grown. By
1877, J Street (Fulton Mall) was a dirt road with wooden
sidewalks. Calvin Jones built a flour mill where the Mason
Building now stands and his wife kept cows behind it.
Between 1874 & 1884, Fresno almost burned to the
ground several times for lack of a fire department. In 1885,
the townspeople finally voted to incorporate and things
began to happen. A general countywide economic boom caused a
rush of immigration and development. By 1894, J Street
(Fulton Mall) with Mariposa Street made Fresno a beautiful
Victorian town.
In 1884, the flamboyant Fulton G. Berry bought
the Grand Central Hotel at J Street and Mariposa and it
became the social center of Fresno. Mr. & Mrs. Berry reigned
as gracious host and hostess at special events at their
hotel. Fulton Berry led the town parades seated on his
dashing white stallion, dressed in his white Spanish Don's
costumes with huge sombrero trimmed in red. After his death
in 1910, J Street was renamed Fulton Street in his honor.
As the new century progressed, there began another
building boom, incorporating new technology, which replaced
the two and three-story Victorian brick buildings with ten
and twelve-story reinforced concrete buildings. Between 1913
and 1925 our handsome classic revival downtown skyline
emerged. This "Roaring Twenties" silhouette with Beaux Arts
classical details was not interrupted with new construction
for 50 years. It still is very much intact after 80 years.
After World War II, the move to the suburbs saw
the downtown start to decline. A plan to revitalize the
downtown turned Fulton Street into Fulton Mall, a
beautifully designed and landscape pedestrian mall. complete
with electric mini trolleys. It opened September 1, 1964.
However, nothing could stop the flow away from downtown, a
nationwide problem.
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