By SARAH LIM
Special to the Times
It is America’s big birthday, and we are celebrating it Merced County style.
On June 25, the “America 250 – Merced County” exhibit will open at the Courthouse Museum at 5 p.m. This exhibit commemorates the U.S. Bisesquicentennial, celebrating a remarkable journey from 1776 to 2026, and offers a glimpse into the rich tapestry of U.S. history, California’s evolution, and the unique story of Merced County. It will highlight the towns that are integral parts of Merced County and reflect on the values we hold dearly and share as Americans.
The exhibit begins with a brief timeline depicting the historical milestones from the 1600s to 2026, then breaks into five sections to showcase Merced County’s evolution in farming, expansion of the educational system, booming business sectors, rich cultural life, legacy of our military history, and ends with the stories of Atwater, Dos Palos, Gustine, Hilmar-Irwin-Stevinson, Le Grand, Livingston, Los Banos, and Merced.
The Jamestown settlement, the American Revolutionary War, and the signing of the “Declaration of Independence” summarize the early history of America. California’s early history in this exhibit began with the building of 21 Spanish missions, Gabriel Moraga’s expedition and naming of the Merced River, the Bear Flag Revolt, the Mexican-American War, the discovery of gold, and ended with California’s statehood.
Five years after California was admitted to the Union, Merced County was carved out of the southwestern portion of Mariposa County in 1855. Along the Merced River, the village of Snelling became the county seat of Merced; Snelling Courthouse was built in 1857 for $13,000.
As a young county, Merced experienced a cattle boom in the 1850s. During and right after the Gold Rush, cattle ranching was the chief economy in Merced County. Vast plains were used for open range; therefore, a cattleman could be wealthy in stock numbers yet actually own relatively little land.
With the cattle boom waning in the 1870s, the wheat era began. Wheat farmers realized that wheat was a perfect crop for the San Joaquin Valley since it could be grown without irrigation by dry farming. They were called “sky farmers” because they depended on nature for their crops to thrive.
Merced was established in 1872 with the arrival of the Central Pacific Railroad. Merced, replacing Snelling, became the new county seat. The El Capitan Hotel was built by the railroad company to accommodate Yosemite-bound tourists. One of these Yosemite-bound tourists was former president General Ulysses S. Grant, who set out to visit Yosemite from San Francisco in 1879. The railroad catalyzed settlement in eastern Merced County.
Meanwhile, settlement on the west side of Merced County was the work of Henry Miller, who was not only a land baron but also an irrigationist who played a vital role in this part of our county. After acquiring the San Joaquin and Kings River Canal and Irrigation Company, Miller built the Main Canal in 1873 from the junction of Fresno Slough and the San Joaquin River to Los Banos Creek. In 1897, Miller completed the Outside Canal, which was parallel to the Main Canal. The development of irrigation systems led to the settlement and development of towns like Los Banos, Gustine, and Dos Palos.
In the 1880s, the eastern part of Merced County’s irrigation system was expanded by the Crocker-Huffman Land and Water Company, which diverted water from the Merced River to the area, such as Atwater, Merced, Le Grand, and Livingston.
As Merced County entered into a new century, new opportunities, like the Yosemite Lumber Company in Merced Falls, brought economic promise and growth to its residents. For example, because of the lumber business, Merced Falls became a booming company town with a hotel, a store, a movie theater, a hospital, and even a baseball team.
Unfortunately, some growth ended because of the Great Depression and World War II. During the war, the Army Air Corps Basic Flying School was established in 1941 and was later renamed Castle Air Force Base. The base contributed much to the socio-economic development in eastern Merced County and brought new hope to its residents as the country was emerging from the war.
The construction of the San Luis Dam and Reservoir in the 1960s brought another great promise. This project, sponsored by the federal, state, and local governments, not only provided many employment opportunities but also brought a new wave of population growth, which led to the building of more and larger schools in the Los Banos area.
Hope for a better and stronger nation was celebrated in the U.S. Bicentennial throughout the country, including in the little town called Winton. Although Winton was unincorporated, it had held an annual spring celebration for over a decade. In 1976, at its 14th Annual Winton Spring Festival, Winton commemorated America’s 200th anniversary with a grand parade, featuring 100 entries and drawing 10,000 spectators.
Hope for a better life for Hmong refugees was the focus in the 1980s. Following the end of the Laotian Civil War and the Vietnam War, Hmong refugees began to arrive in the United States in the 1970s, and many settled in Merced County. 1982 became known as the year of the Hmong to many Merced County agencies because of the sudden surge of Hmong settlers.
In the 1990s, hope diminished due to economic recession, but never disappeared. Many residents experienced financial hardship, and the local governments made painful cuts in programs such as libraries and parks. The closure of the Castle Air Force Base in 1995 was a huge disappointment, but that year also witnessed major progress – Merced won the hard-fought battle to be the home of the 10th campus of the University of California. The campus broke ground in 2002 and opened its doors to the students in 2005.
Today, as we celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary, we are proud to call ourselves Americans because we are brave, optimistic, resilient, innovative, and hardworking. These characteristics and values are celebrated throughout the “America 250 – Merced County” exhibit.
Please join us at the exhibition opening on Thursday, June 25. At 6 p.m., there will be a patriotic celebration on the front steps. Merced County Board of Supervisors Chairman Daron McDaniel will give a brief speech, and Judge Brian McCabe will read the “Declaration of Independence.” The program will end with patriotic songs performed by the Bear Creek Ukulele Society.
For more information, please contact the Museum Office at (209) 723-2401.