What’s That?

Preston Castle was constructed in 1894 as the administration building for the Preston School of Industry, a reform school for boys. The Romanesque Revival style of architecture was to make the building look like a school rather than a prison. The intriquing Gold Country landmark is located in Ione, near Jackson, and a couple of hours north by…

We know this story is about a subject outside our county, but it’s still very interesting and something that is worth a day trip to the coast.…

The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge hosted the annual Elk Day event on Saturday Oct. 12. The event’s name is a little misleading because…

Le Grand is an active little town in the southeastern part of Merced County, near Planada and Plainsburg. This unincorporated town in 2022 had a population of about 1,700 people. Le Grand came into existence when the Santa Fe Railroad came through in 1894-1896. Up until that time just a very few homes were in the area. The…

The small town of Dover had a short life but while in existence had a well-deserved reputation as a wild river town. Dover was founded sometime…

While traveling from Merced to Yosemite National Park on Highway 140, and enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way, one can make a stop after…

By Jim Cunningham & Flip Hassett While traveling from Merced to Yosemite National Park on Highway 140, and enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way, one can make a stop after a leisurely 40-minute drive and find yourself in a charming, preserved Gold Rush town called Mariposa (which is Spanish for Butterfly). Though…

It was said that the original name of this foothill town was “Santa Cruz.” It was named by Mexican miners, and later established in 1849, after…

The actuality and possibility of flooding in Merced County has certainly been in the news for the last few months. The town of Planada and some…

Athlone was an old railroad town located about 10 miles southeast of Merced. The construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad gave birth to Athlone in about 1872, it was also a stage stop on the way to Plainsburg. Athlone was a very small community and was razed in 1950 during an expansion of Highway 99. The location was…