Berenda
Unincorporated community
Berenda is located in California
Berenda
Berenda
Location in California
Berenda is located in the United States
Berenda
Berenda
Berenda (the United States)
Coordinates: 37°02′25″N 120°09′13″W / 37.04028°N 120.15361°W / 37.04028; -120.15361
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyMadera County
Elevation
[1]
253 ft (77 m)

Berenda (Spanish: Berrenda, meaning "female antelope") was an unincorporated community in Madera County, California.[1] It is located on the north bank of Berenda Creek 3.3 miles (5.3 km) southeast of Fairmead, and 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Madera, at an elevation of 253 feet (77 m).[1] Berenda is located on the Southern Pacific Railroad.[2]

The Berendo post office opened in 1873, closed for a period in 1881, changed its name to Berenda in 1919, and closed in 1935.[2] The town was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1907, but was rebuilt.[3]

Once described as the "gateway to Yosemite", Berenda once was the terminus of a branch rail line to Raymond (the San Joaquin Valley and Yosemite Railroad)[4] for tourists visiting the park. It also had a store, service station, saloon, hotel, and tourist cabins.[5] The town's importance for access to Yosemite declined greatly after 1907, when the highly-successful Yosemite Valley Railroad opened from Merced, just to the north.[6] The town was mostly destroyed in 1949 when US 99 was expanded to a four-lane divided highway.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Berenda, California
  2. ^ a b Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 745. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  3. ^ "Town of Berenda destroyed by fire". The Fresno Morning Republican. Fresno, CA. August 14, 1907. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  4. ^ Letson, Lester J. (2011). "Raymond Historical Marker". HMDB.com. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Anderson, John (July 3, 1949). "Berenda, gay, early day Madera town, disappears as highway project starts". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, CA. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  6. ^ "Does old Berenda still live?". Madera Tribune. Madera, CA. March 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2023.


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