Fresno Flats was the original name of the town we now know as Oakhurst, California. The name Fresno is a Spanish word meaning “ash tree.” The town was first settled in the 1860s and is located at what was the southern end of the historic California gold fields. Pioneers first came in search of gold but eventually settled the area as farmers, merchants, lumberjacks, and nearly from its beginnings, the town catered to miners and tourists. Early tourists included Ulysses S. Grant and his family in 1879 who stopped by Fresno Flats en route to Yosemite Valley.
The establishment of the first school, post office, and businesses in the 1870s marked milestones in the town’s development. By 1880, Fresno Flats boasted a thriving community with a diverse population, stores, hotels, a blacksmith shop, saloons, a Chinese laundry, a Chinese Cemetery, a small bordello, and more.
The Nichols family was one of the very first families to move to Fresno Flats. Their home was near where the Oakhurst Cemetery is today, and their property extended all the way down to the Oakhurst Community Center. Mrs. Nichols (Elizabeth Newton) had two sisters that lived in our park’s two homes; the Taylor cabin (Margaret) and our Laramore house (Mary). A third sister (Caroline Burford) lived just a few miles up the road on the way to Yosemite at Burford Station.
Over the next few years, Nichols was joined by other settlers; those who were interested in starting a permanent settlement. Soon they were raising hogs, sheep, and planting orchards. Within a short time, the lumber industry would be the primary trade in the area. By 1880, one of the best-developed mines in the area, the Enterprise Mine, was located near Fresno Flats. In that year, the operation employed 40 men and produced gold ore worth between $7,000 to $8,000 every month.
In 1868, the first school in what is now Madera County opened near Fresno Flats. J. Beasore, George Sharpton, and Tom Winkleman shared the work and expense. It was a one-room, log cabin affair, located on the road to Crane Valley (Bass Lake). The first teacher was Hiram Cornet. In 1871, it was moved closer to town, and in 1874, a brand new building was constructed from cut boards, on land owned by Robert Nichols.
By 1873, Fresno Flats was ready for its first store, which was opened by a man named Balleau. In 1874 the Fresno Flats Post office was opened. Previous to this, the mail came to town from Mariposa via horseback. In 1874, the California Lumber Company and later its successor, the Madera Flume and Trading Company, began its flume approximately eight miles from Fresno Flats. Then in 1879, the wagon road from Madera to Yosemite was completed.
David H. Meyers, a pioneer, played a crucial role in the town’s early days. Today, Fresno Flats Park stands on Meyers’ original homestead. His daily journal entries provide a glimpse into daily life in rural California during the late 1800s. It was David’s son Charley Meyers whose Wells Fargo stagecoach Robbery brought infamy to the town. The town was soon closely associated with both the crime and the suspects and became known as “the town where Charley Meyers robbed the stagecoach.” Charley’s wife Kitty, was duly embarrassed by the association and petitioned to change the town’s name to Oakhurst. She succeeded, and Fresno Flats became Oakhurst on February 28, 1912.
Before the European settlers, the area had thriving Indigenous communities that was composed of three dominant groups; the Chukchansi, Mono, and Miwuk people. Today, that rich cultural heritage of the tribes can be learned about locally by visiting our new exhibits indigenous community exhibits (in development) and by visiting the Wassama Roundhouse in Ahwahnee (7 miles), built in 1860, the Sierra Mono Museum , in North Fork (18 miles), and the Southern Sierra Miwuk exhibit at the Mariposa Museum (20 miles).
Join us at Fresno Flats Historic Village and Park to immerse yourself in the diverse history that shaped Oakhurst, California. Explore the remnants of the Gold Rush era, learn about early settlers, and appreciate the enduring legacy of the Indigenous peoples and early Chinese settlers and who thrived in this picturesque region.
For more information about Fresno Flats, Oakhurst and the surrounding area, you can visit our our Historic Library by appointment, visit our gift shop for books on the topic, or you can purchase the book Yosemite Home Companion, which is a guide to living in the Yosemite Mountain Area and available online. Also, check out our online digital archive found here (link to digital archive). For more information, email us at fresnoflatsmuseum@gmail.com.