Agriculture in and around Madera first began with dry-wheat farming. This 1905 image was taken on the Ripperdan Ranch. George E. Ripperdan came to what is now Madera County in the 1880s and began to buy and lease land to farm wheat and barley. In 1887, he and his wife, Effie, established a home opposite H. Mochizuki’s store. For 25 years, the Ripperdans lived there, farmed grain with mules and raised eight children. At the time of this photograph, the area was known as the Ripperdan District. The Ripperdans sold out in 1910 and moved to Monterey. Pictured here are Al Hawkins, the driver, Fred Williams, the sack sower, and J.W. Ripperdan. (Madera ImagesBill Coate)
In the early days of Madera County Agriculture, everybody lent a hand—even the children. The six adults in this 1905 photograph were deeply appreciative of the relief brought to them by the young lad and his water wagon. The wide-brimmed sombreros worn by the men are not necessarily a reflection of any particular culture; every worker wore them to combat the intense sun of the San Joaquin Valley. (Madera ImagesBill Coate)
