Interested in Fresno? We'll send you updates with the latest
deals, reviews and articles for Fresno each week. Fresno’s
history is built on the history of Fresno County which was named
for Fresno Creek which was named for the vast number of ash
trees in the area (“fresno” is Spanish for “ash tree”). Whew!
But it was another creek—okay, a river—that really shaped the
city’s history. On Christmas Eve in 1867, the San Joaquin River
flooded the city of Millerton, located in the northeast corner
of Fresno County. When the flood waters receded, the citizens
moved back . . . but they didn’t forget. In 1872, the Central
Pacific Railroad added a station for its Southern Pacific line
to service a large farm in Fresno County; it was called the
Fresno Station and was later shortened to just Fresno.
Eventually, a store was added to the farm and the station and
the first seeds for a town were planted. Many Millerton
residents, still remembering the flood, literally packed up and
moved together to Fresno. In no time, Fresno