Herndon, California Explained

36.8367°N -119.9175°W

Herndon
Other Name:Sycamore Point, Sycamore, Palo Blanco
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:California#USA
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in California
Pushpin Image:California Locator Map with US.PNG
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:California
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Fresno County
Coordinates:36.8367°N -119.9175°W
Elevation M:91
Elevation Ft:299
Module:
Wikidata:yes
Zoom:13
Frame-Height:400
Stroke-Width:1

Herndon (formerly, Sycamore) is an unincorporated community in Fresno County, California. It is located 9miles northwest of downtown Fresno, at an elevation of 299 feet (91 m).

History

Herndon began as a steamboat landing on the San Joaquin River called Sycamore Point. It was the year round head of navigation on that river. Sycamore Point was where the steamboats landed supplies for Fort Miller and later the town of Millerton. There was also a ferry on the river near the location from the 1860s until the 1880s. The settlement grew around Sycamore Station after the railroad built a bridge over the river nearby into the town of Sycamore in 1872. The first town post office, was called Palo Blanco while it lasted from September 3, 1872, to September 4, 1873.[1] The failure of an irrigation project crippled the growth of the town. It was not until 1887 that the Herndon post office opened and closed in 1893, and re-opened in 1907.[1] [2] [3]

Notes and References

  1. Frickstad, Walter N., A Century of California Post Offices 1848-1954, Philatelic Research Society, Oakland, CA. 1955, Pages 30-39
  2. Wallace W. Elliot, History of Fresno County, California: With Illustrations from Original Drawings ... with Biographical Sketches, Wallace W. Elliot & Co., San Francisco, 1882; reprinted by Valley Publishers, Fresno, 1973.
  3. Paul E. Vandor, History of Fresno County, California: With Biographical Sketches, Volume 1, Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, 1919