Editing Madera County, California (section)

===19th and 20th century===
[[File:Typical-log-at-Sugar-Pine-California-1915.jpg|thumb|Typical log felled in [[Sugar Pine, California|Sugar Pine]], 1915]]Madera County's origins are deeply rooted in boom-and-bust cycles, primarily driven by extractive industries. Initially, the county's economy was heavily reliant on mineral extraction and timber harvesting. Over time, agriculture and ag related industries became the predominant employer and economic force.

==== Gold ====
Madera County became known for gold mining during the [[California Gold Rush]]. Madera County, created in 1893 from a portion of [[Fresno County]], encompassed most of the region's productive gold mines. These mines, located primarily at the junction of the [[Sierra Nevada Batholith|Sierra Nevada batholith]] with pre-Cretaceous schist and slate, stretched from [[Grub Gulch, California|Grub Gulch]] to [[Hildreth, California|Hildreth]].<ref name="Mining History">{{cite web |last1=Koschmann |first1=A. H. |last2=Bergendahl |first2=M. H. |title=Madera County California Gold Production |year=1968 |publisher=USGS |url=https://westernmininghistory.com/library/39/page1/ |access-date=}}</ref>

Grub Gulch, located near the end of [[California State Route 49|Highway 49]], was a [[California gold rush|gold rush]] town renowned for its easily accessible gold.<ref>{{cite news |title=Monument Requested For Once Roaring Grub Gulch |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MT19660405.2.131&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-------- |work=Madera Tribune |volume=74 |number=228 |date=April 5, 1966 |access-date=}}</ref> Initially, Grub Gulch was a simple shanty town of tents, but it blossomed into a bustling community in the late 1880s, spurred by successful [[placer mining]] in nearby streams. At its peak, the town boasted five saloons, a general store, a post office, and a boarding house. Remarkably, out of the $1.35 million worth of gold extracted from Madera County, nearly $1 million originated from Grub Gulch.<ref name="Mining History" />

By the 1950s, gold production had significantly dropped, primarily from dredging operations along the [[Fresno River|Fresno]], [[Chowchilla River|Chowchilla]], and [[San Joaquin River]]s with almost no production after 1959.<ref name="Mining History" />

====Tungsten====
In the mid-20th century, Madera County's [[Ecology of the Sierra Nevada#Alpine Zone|High Sierra]] regions became prominent for their significant [[tungsten]] deposits, leading to extensive mining activities near [[Mammoth Lakes, California|Mammoth Lakes]], [[Central Camp, California|Central Camp]], and [[Fish Camp, California|Fish Camp]]. One notable example, the Strawberry Tungsten Mine, was valued at $1 million in 1955 and had the capacity to process 310 metric tons of ore daily by 1981.<ref>{{cite news |title=Plans Told To Reopen Local Mine |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MT19650416.2.3&srpos=1&e=------196-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22strawberry+tungsten+mine%22------- |newspaper=Madera Tribune |volume=73 |number=233 |date=April 16, 1965 |access-date=}}</ref>

However, tungsten mining in the Sierra Nevada faced challenges due to harsh winter conditions and intense competition from low-cost tungsten imports from China. These challenges were part of a broader decline in the U.S. starting in the 1980s, caused by falling market prices and economic issues, resulting in a major decrease in tungsten mining nationwide. As a result, tungsten mining in Madera County and the rest of the Sierra Nevada has stopped entirely.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Carroll |first1=Thomas R. |last2=Schmeda |first2=German |last3=Karl |first3=Nick A |last4=Burger |first4=Meredith H. |last5=Long |first5=Keith R |last6=Reyes |first6=Tyler A |title=Tungsten Deposits in the United States |year=2020 |publisher=USGS |url=https://www.usgs.gov/data/tungsten-deposits-united-states |doi=10.5066/P9XA8MJ4 |access-date=January 28, 2024}}</ref>

====Lumber====
[[File:California Lumber Company Log Flume.jpg|thumb|The record-breaking Madera log flume was {{convert|65|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} long.]] The discovery of gold was quickly followed by a high demand for lumber, which was essential for constructing [[Placer mining#Sluice box|sluice boxes]] and building early settlements. The first sawmill in the county was constructed in 1852 on the east fork of Redwood Creek, north of [[Oakhurst, California|Oakhurst]], in an area currently known as Old Corral. This mill primarily provided lumber to miners and settlers in the [[Coarsegold, California|Coarsegold]] and [[Oakhurst, California|Fresno Flats]] areas.<ref name="Sawmill History">{{cite web |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5304587.pdf |title=A Sawmill History of the Sierra National Forest 1852-1940 |author=Ben Hurt |publisher=Sierra National Forest |access-date=January 21, 2024}}</ref> In 1854, [[Charles P. Converse|Charles Converse]] and Bill Chitister purchased the mill and relocated it to Crane Valley, the area now known as [[Bass Lake (Madera County, California)|Bass Lake]].<ref name="Sawmill History" />

In 1872, the [[Madera Sugar Pine Company#The California Lumber Company (1874–1878)|California Lumber Company]] initiated the region's first major lumber operation with a steam mill near [[Nelder Grove]]. They built a record-setting {{convert|65|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} long [[Log flume#V-flumes|log flume]] to Madera to float finished lumber to market.<ref name="Sawmill History" /> Although it ran out of money in 1874, it was restructured and operated at a profit for the next four decades.<ref name="Coarsegold">{{Cite book |title=As We Were Told: An Oral and Written History |publisher=Coarsegold Historical Society |editor-first1=Jane |editor-last1=Stenzel|year=2006 |isbn=0-9626377-7-7 |edition=Third Edition (Revised) |location=Coarsegold, California}}</ref>{{rp|146}}

During the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]], Madera County's lumber industry and logging railroads ceased operations. In 1941, the industry recovered when a new sawmill in North Fork was built, which used [[logging truck]]s and advanced equipment for deeper access into the [[Sierra National Forest]]. However, in the early 1990s, tighter government rules reduced forest yields, hurting the mill's profits. This downturn led to the end of Madera County's logging era in February 1994, when the last log was processed.