Madera Union High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Madera, CA)

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Alabama settlements, and to the north were the Okla- homa and Mississippi settlements. Within three years’ time Madera boasted six — stores, three churches, one large hotel, one rooming house, three streets of residence district, and a stage line, while Borden had four stores, one hotel (empty for the most of the time) and a great many vacant houses. A great many former Bordenites could be seen moving ab out on the Madera streets. In 1890, a match factory was built in Madera, in which a great many men were to be emploved. This and the mills offered a large field of employment to Madera’s popu- lation. Many people moved from Borden and settled in Madera because of this possibility of employment. At this time, another store closed out in Borden and set up in Madera and the railroad company realized that the com- pany’s threats were being fulfilled. The railroad officials, although still angry. saw the folly of longer holding aloof and moyed the depot from Borden io Madera and built a smaller one in its place. In 1896, two large grammar schools were buil and one east of the business blocks in Madera, including grocery, hardware, drygoods, drug stores, bakeries, hotels, lodging houses, six churches and twenty-one saloons. In 1902, a union high school was opened and situated on the second floor of the West Side grammar school and a building was started which was completed in 1903. Madera was now not only the center of industry and population in the county but it was also the educational center. In 1912, the streets were paved and a park planted, since which Madera has almost doubled in population. Today Madera is a city with a population of thirty-five hundred, six business blocks, and a square mile of thickly settled residence districts. Borden, her former rival, is just a railroad station, containing a ware house, a tiny depot, one old vacant delapidated store, two dwellings and = Chinese graveyard. , one West Dawn The little stars are waning in the sky, The soft light of the moon is gone And over in the East, a touch of pink is nigh: Tis Dawn. A blast of silvery trumpets greets the air, The nymphs are heralding their song: And from his golden chariot. Apollo fain. Greets Dawn. The Sun-God climbs the hills that still embrace The maiden of the mist, the Dawn, And at his touch, she vanishes, and in her place Comes Morn. Thru out this wondrous life, it is the same, The old must vanish as does the Dawn, And in their place the new will rise to fame. Like Morn, 31

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abandon. ‘Then after all was the sun came out and looked down bi nienly on the wet earth and all was happy again. All this the yeople felt as the » old, white-haired musician seemingly uncon- scious of them, played. It was nmished. A full moment they waited and then a mighty roar broke forth and were shouting wildly for more. The old man smi be became certain of his success. tears came to his eves from pure joy. Next he played a jolly, rollicking piece that set everyone smiling and left them apparently without a eare. So, on and on, through all his numbers, he played. sad that everyone lovely and tender. lightning broke forth in utter over, y ople were so wept: some In the year 1876 several men grouped themselves to- gether as the “Madera Flume for the purpose of building a flume to connect the plains with the vast and valuable forest which surrounded then A few mules south of the present site of Madera was the railroad station of Borden, then a thrivine little town of probably six hundred people. To this the company de- cided to direct its course. This town, built and mostly owned by the railroad, refused to admit the flume unless the company would pay them annually an enormous sum of money for doing so. This the refused to do, and after two months spent in fru itless parleving, they gave up and the railroad rejoiced in a victory. But their rejoicing was doomed to short after a con- ference of a few days, ie company sent a messenger to the railroad with this mes “We will neither give up our project, nor pay your ee; We will own and kill your contemptible litt Company” COM pany lived for, build a town oF ae le upstart.” From that others so filled with despair that people were worked up to the highest pitch. He moved nearer to the front of the stage as he began his last piece. It was called “Death,” faces blanched to ehastly white, became more and more strained. sad, the music death. As the last wailine note was beeun, the old musician raised his head high. looking, with his soul im his eyes, into the faces of the people: and. as the notes died away, he pitched forward—dead ! and as he began, and the nervous tension Low, wailing, infinitely dvifted on and on picturing the horror of day to this, Madera has had the bitter hatred of the rail- road company. Within a few weeks it was noised about that the cours of the flume had been changed: and when it was com plet- ed, this rumor was ene for it touched the railroad just three miles north of Borden. During the building of the flume, a large supply camp had been built at its destination which the company spared nothing to make into a city. When the flume was at last completed, 1e town contained a hotel, a grocery, hard- ware, and dry goods store, and one church. Siens of per- manent life could be seen evervwhere. Claims had been staked out and a few modest dwellings erected. Fora vear. the railroad company refused to recognize the new town and its trains thundered by without so much as slowing’ down for the crossings. In spite of this drawback, settlements had sprung up all about the new town. Southward were the Touistana and

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Alfred Vincent rushed inte pers which he had neglected t that morning. Ile was surj vol engaged wh ng man busily ich the young man held in Mrs. Vincent, although tal stammer out, “A—a—Mr. Br husband, Mr. Vincent?” “No, | don’t believe that | of meeting your husband,” re} turing toward Mr. Vincent said, “Mr. Vincent, | “T am pleased to meet you » the house to get some pa- o take yrised to see his wife and a in talking about something his hand. Mr. Vincent waited for an explanation. en by surprise, managed to yton, have you ever met m) the pleasure m man. ‘Then, his hand, he have ever had lied the young and extending am pleased to meet you. 2 returned Vincent with a vood deal of meaning in his words. Mr. Bryton, scenting troubl without ever elancine at 20 when the door had closed behi wife and exclaimed, “Who is doing here 2” “FHe’s a friend of mine anc swered Mrs. Vineent with as Vineent. without another w the house. what had happened. As soon as he had left the After erying unt been tO Gry. she wiped the tears away, a it, said it On arvivine at his office. e, pulled out his watch and. was time for him to Vineent didn’t say anything but he thought much and. nd Bryton. he turned to his that man and what was ho he was here to see me,” an- ight quaver in her voice. ord. cot his papers and left he tried to forget 1ouse, lis wife sat down and il she couldn't ery anymore. her room. She id went to Che irthday with him to the office pulled a letter out of a drawer and read, “Your great-uncle died last week and left you ten thousand dollars.” She thought about her husband’s birthday which was coming in three days, how she had planned a surprise for him, and how it had all turned out. She threw the letter back into the drawer and cried, “He doesn’t love me any more. I won’t give him any surprise.” ; 1e had already invited his mother Then she though how s thday and that she couldn’t very to be with them on his bi well disappoint her. Alfred didnt come home for lunch and it was a wise act on his part because the chances are, they would have had a quarrel. He came home for dinner about half-past five but nothing out of the ordinary happened except that it was a little quieter than usual. During the remainder of the evening. he kept pretty much to himself and read the evening paper a little more closely than usual. he left for the office without kissing his wife good-bye. She started to ery again but glanced up and saw his picture smiline at her. She stood upon a chair and kissed it. then the door bell rang. The noise startled her and she accidently turned the picture to- wards the wall as she Jumped down. She hastened to the door and found a messenger with a box and a tele- eram which read. “Am sendi yresent. will be there to- nieht. Mother.” Vext morning’ Just OV ng it contained a smoking 1 these words, “For my She opened the box and founc jacket with a card attached wit darling boy.”