CITY OF FRESNO
Office of Mayor Jerry P. Dyer &Councilmember Mike Karbassi
WHEREAS, Pinedale is a community in Fresno County, and was established as a company town for the Sugar Pine Lumber Company on March 24, 1923, as a mill site near the San Joaquin River approximately 8 miles north of downtown Fresno; and
WHEREAS, the Pinedale Mill of the Sugar Pine Lumber Company officially began operation in July 1, 1923. At a cost of $4 million and known as “the finest sawmill in the West,” it was the largest and most modern lumber mill in the United States at the time, employing 250 workers year-round, and more than 550 during peak seasons. The mill was connected to Sugar Pine’s lumber sites via the Minarets and Western Railway and required a special engine be built to handle the volume of timber down the mountain; and
WHEREAS , the Pinedale township was founded immediately east of the lumber mill and became a modern community with graded streets, cement curbs and sidewalks. Pinedale was developing into its own city with both residential and commercial development, including church, post office, community hall, school, hotel, and a streetcar line to downtown Fresno; and
WHEREAS, the Sugar Pine Lumber Company went bankrupt in 1933, and sold all its properties and holdings, including the Pinedale lumber mill which stopped operating in 1931, with its properties being sold off in 1935. The township of Pinedale withered for years as residents moved away to surrounding communities; and
WHEREAS, the old mill site was leased to the United States Army in 1942 to serve as a training camp for the Army Signal Corps with more than 10,000 soldiers quartered at “Camp Pinedale.” From May to June 1942, Pinedale was used as a temporary internment and processing camp for almost 5,000 Japanese-Americans, pending their transfers to larger facilities. Camp Pinedale operated as a depot until 1945, and in 1947 the property was returned to its private owner. Decades later, Pinedale was annexed into the City of Fresno in 1979; and
WHEREAS, through Pinedale’s many phases and periods of development, a community with pride and identity has emerged, and the members of the Pinedale Community Association help preserve Pinedale’s heritage through work with local partners and agencies; and
WHEREAS, in honor of Pinedale’s centennial, photos and artifacts of Pinedale’s history are on display at Fresno County Central Library and Woodward Park Library through the month of March. In addition, the public is invited to participate in Pinedale’s Centennial Celebration and parade on March 25, 2023 at 10 o’clock AM with all day festivities at the Paula S. Guzman Pinedale Community Center located at 7170 N San Pablo Ave, Pinedale.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we Mayor Jerry Dyer and the Fresno City her eby proclaim March 2023 as Pinedale Centennial History Month:
“Pinedale Centennial History Month”
in the City of Fresno.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands and
affixed the seal of the City of Fresno, California, this 9 th
day of March 2023.
_____________________________________________ __________________________________________ JERRY P. DYER, Honorable Mayor MIKE KARBASSI , Councilmember District 2
_____________________________________________ __________________________________________ TYLER MAXWELL, Council President ANNALISA PEREA, Council Vice President
_____________________________________________ __________________________________________ MIGUEL ARIAS, Councilmember District 3 LUIS CHAVEZ, Councilmember District 5
_____________________________________________ __________________________________________ GARRY BREDEFELD, Councilmember District 6 NELSON ESPARZA, Councilmember District 7