104 



YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES 



(2. miles) 

 FANCHER MONUMENT — South 



of the highway a shaft commemo- 

 rates Clarence L. Fancher, a well-known 

 local grain rancher and leader in com- 

 munity affairs around the turn of the 

 century. The monument is over Fanch- 

 er's grave. 



DEL MONTE ORCHARDS As 



you pass the Fancher Monument you 

 will also pass through the Del Monte 

 cling peach and Kadota fig orchards, 

 owned and operated by the California 

 Packing Corporation. The peach or- 

 chard has approximately 2 800 acres 

 and 2 50,000 trees and is the largest of 

 its kind in the world. The fig orchard 

 contains about 600 acres and 54,000 

 trees. The fig trees are kept pruned 

 down to produce better quality for can- 

 ning and to permit picking from the 

 ground. Practically all fruit grown here 

 is canned. 



(3 miles from Filice & Perelli) 



PLANADA — This town of around 

 1000 persons, received its name in a 

 unique manner. A contest for a suitable 

 name was held in 1911 from which the 

 Spanish word for "plain" -was chosen. 

 Formerly the post office here was named 

 Geneva and the railroad name was Whit- 

 ton. 



VIEW OF THE SIERRA NEVADA 

 MOUNTAINS— Leaving Planada you 

 will see the Sierra Nevada Mountains 

 directly ahead of you. It was from this 

 approximate area that in 1776 the 

 Spanish discoverers saw the mountains 

 and gave them the name Sierra Nevada, 

 meaning "Snowy Range of Mountains." 

 The Sierra Nevada is approximately 430 

 miles long, lying in a northwest-south- 

 east direction, having a breadth of 40 

 to 80 miles. The range is located en- 

 tirely in California except for a small 

 portion in Nevada near Lake Tahoe. 

 The western approach is long, winding 

 and gradual but the eastern approach is 

 abrupt. 



(4.6 miles from Planada) 

 MTLLERTON ROAD — Near the 

 point where the highway crosses the 

 Merced-Mariposa County line is the Mil- 

 lerton Road. This is the original Stock- 

 ton-Los Angeles road. It was constructed 

 in the foothills to avoid the many small 

 creeks and thick tules of the valley 

 floor. 



(2 miles) 



MARIPOSA COUNTY — Mariposa 

 County was one of the largest of the 

 original 27 counties of California. An 

 old Mexican grant comprising a portion 

 of this area was given to Juan Bautista 

 Alvarado in 1844. Purchased for John 

 C. Fremont in 1847 for $3,000, it was 

 resold in 1863 for $6,000,000. From 

 the formation of the county in 18 50 

 until 1893, people of various areas se- 

 ceeded to form separate counties, namely 

 the present counties of Merced, Madera, 

 Mono, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Inyo, Kern 

 and a portion of Los Angeles County. 

 Hence Mariposa County became known 

 as "The Mother of Counties." In this 

 county an official U. S. Mint was lo- 

 cated at Mt. Ophir where six-sided $50 

 gold coins were made. These coins are 

 valued today up to $10,000 each. Mari- 

 posa County is known for its cattle, 

 hogs, sheep, poultry, timber and mining. 

 Zinc, lead, manganese and tungsten 

 are found in quantity, as well as small 

 deposits of nickle, cobalt, barium and 

 titanium. 



(9.5 miles) 



CATHAY VALLEY— This pleasant 

 rolling farm and cattle land never saw 

 much mining. It received its name from 

 Andrew Cathay who purchased it in 

 18 54 for a sum of $1,500 from George 

 W. Evans and Jacob Hill. Stone fences 

 throughout this immediate area were 

 built during the 1840's and 50's by Chi- 

 nese labor. 



IOAQUIN MURIETA AND HOR- 

 NITOS — Joaquin Murieta was a Robin 



