Editing Madera County, California (section)

==== Early United States Era ====
Since the area was part of [[Mexico]] until 1848, it has maintained a significant population of [[Mexican Americans|Mexican descent]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nateras |first1=Myrna Martínez |last2=Stanley |first2=Eduardo |title=Latino Immigrant Civic and Political Participation in Fresno and Madera, California |url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/publication/Fresno%20Eng.pdf |publisher=Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars |page=6 |access-date=}}</ref> After the [[California Gold Rush]], the region became a vibrant mosaic, drawing individuals from across the [[United States]] and beyond.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fresno Census in the 1800's |url=https://abc30.com/archive/7298949/ |publisher=ABC30 |date=February 28, 2010 |access-date=}}</ref> 
Chinese laborers played a key role in constructing the Madera Flume and working in the [[Madera Sugar Pine Company#Chinese Labor|Sugar Pine lumber yards]]. However, their numbers declined after restrictive immigration laws like the [[Chinese Exclusion Act#The aftermath|Chinese Exclusion Act]] and the [[Immigration Act of 1917]] were enacted. This led to Mexican immigrants filling the roles previously held by Chinese workers, signifying a notable change in the area's labor dynamics.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=August 8, 2017 |title=Sugar Pine's Chinatown had its revenge |url= https://www.maderatribune.com/single-post/2017/08/08/sugar-pines-chinatown-had-its-revenge |work=The Madera Tribune |access-date=August 3, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Johnston 1968">{{Cite book |last=Johnston |first=Hank |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/239958 |title=Thunder in the Mountains: The Life and Times of Madera Sugar Pine |publisher=Stauffer Publishing |year=1968 |isbn=0-87046-017-X |edition=Second Edition (Revised) |location=Costa Mesa, Calif. |oclc=239958}}</ref>{{rp|81}}