Climate

North Fork has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Cfa) with cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Its average annual precipitation is 33.43 in (849 mm).^[6] Its hardiness zone is 7b.^[7]

Native People

Mono couple living near Northfork, California, ca. 1920

North Fork is within the ancestral home lands of the Mono people, who still constitute a significant portion of the population (9.4% according to the 2000 Census).

The Sierra Timber Reserve Act, enacted in February 1893, resulted in the land around North Fork coming under federal control. This left the Mono Indians, who were not recognized as US citizens until 1924, left out. They were unable to pursue their traditional way of life or maintain their newly adopted practice of cattle grazing, finding themselves effectively excluded from their ancestral lands. Faced with these obstacles, many Mono Indians either assimilated into the settler community or dispersed to other areas.^[9]: 122

Early History

The first permanent community was established as a remote mountain outpost in 1865 when Milton Brown built what is believed to be the first house in the area — a log cabin at the end of a newly-developed wagon road leading from Crane Valley to the north fork of the San Joaquin River. Serving as a supply point, Brown catered to stockmen, sheepmen, and miners who left their wagons under his care while venturing further into the mountains. Consequently, the location was often referred to as "Brown's Place."^{[9]: 115–117}

A significant shift in the settlement's trajectory occurred in 1886 with the establishment of a sawmill on Peckinpah Mountain by Milton Brown and his partner, John Bartram. This venture marked the foundation of the North Fork Lumber Company, which would play a pivotal role in the community's evolution. By 1887, the company had established a post office under the name North Fork, subsequently bestowing the settlement with its present-day name.^[10]

The small settlement, which primarily consisted of a few stores, hotels, and a watering trough, was home to a population consisting mostly of miners and hog-rearing stockmen. The Fresno Morning Republican once described the area as "a bleak little mountain center," emphasizing its isolation from valley towns such as Friant and Madera.^[11]

Sam Peckinpah, the renowned director, drew inspiration from his youth spent on his grandparents' ranch in North Fork. His grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Peckinpah, settled in North Fork in 1884, and the name "Peckinpah Mountain" pays homage to their former sawmill site.^[12] Peckinpah, born in 1925, channeled his family's experiences during the Wild West period into his Western films and TV series, including Ride the High Country (1962) and The Wild Bunch (1969). The town of North Fork in The Rifleman TV series, which Peckinpah created, is named after the real-life North Fork.^[13]

Forestry

In 1902, North Fork became the pivotal hub for the Sierra Reserves, which later evolved into today's Sierra National Forest, when Charles H. Shinn became the head ranger. North Fork's central geographical location, nestled within the expansive territory of the Sierra Reserves that stretched from Tuolumne County in the north to Kern County in the south, made it an ideal choice for the organization's headquarters.^[11]: 18 The supervisor's office held a steady presence in North Fork, acting as the heart of the reserves, until it was eventually moved to Clovis in 1989.^[11]: 168

Lumber Industry

During the years of the Great Depression, the commercial logging activities in eastern Madera County faced an abrupt halt, leading to the discontinuation of logging railroads. Notably, the Sugar Pine Lumber Company, which operated in the mountainous region above North Fork, ceased its operations in 1933.^[14]

In 1941, the Associated Box and Lumber company acquired a 135 acres (55 ha) plot of land and relocated its operations from Bieber, to North Fork by 1942. This move marked a transformative moment for the town, as it ushered in a new era of logging that lasted for over fifty years. The adoption of logging trucks and advanced equipment enabled the industry to penetrate deeper into the Sierra National Forest, expanding its reach and efficiency.

Despite the incomplete construction and undeveloped logging roads, the sawmill's operations kicked off in 1942. By April 1, 1943, the first log was successfully processed into lumber. The North Fork mill processed over nine million board feet of lumber in its first year, primarily logging ponderosa pine, sugar pine, lodgepole pine, and incense cedar from the Sierra National Forest.^[15]

The mill's establishment marked a significant transformation for North Fork. By 1951, the population had grown to over 2,000 residents.^[16] The mill had become a major employment center, offering jobs to over 130 workers during peak periods and injecting approximately $500,000 in payroll into the community.^[17] Despite the considerable circulation of currency among its rugged inhabitants, North Fork lacked a banking institution.^[18]

The mill complex included a sawmill, planing mill, lumber storage, workshops, and employee accommodations.^[19] The employee accommodations, located across the road from the mill, consisted of twenty-two two-bedroom homes available for rent. By 1968, the mill's annual payroll had risen to $1,250,000, underscoring the significance of logging to the local economy.

In 1985, Ron Yanke purchased the mill, renaming it South Fork Timber Industries. Between 1985 and 1991, the mill processed an average of 143 million board feet annually, enough to build about 12,000 single-family homes.^[20][21]

In 1986, a cogeneration plant was added to the mill operations. This plant used sawdust to fuel boilers and generate electricity. Excess power was sold to public utility companies, and the mill started processing bark into humus and selling ash as a fertilizer.^[20]

New government regulations led to a decrease in the forest's yield by 1992, falling to 63.8 million board feet by 1993. The additional costs and restrictions rendered lumber production unprofitable, causing the mill to close and layoffs to begin as early as 1991. The last log was processed on February 25, 1994.^[20]