Berenda (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Berrenda'', meaning "female antelope") was an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Madera County,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It is located on the north bank of Berenda Creek southeast of Fairmead, and northwest of Madera, at an elevation of . Berenda is located on the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

History

Berenda, initially called Berendo, was established in 1872 with the construction of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

. This development led to the creation of several towns along what would become known as the Southern Pacific route. Berenda started with just a store and a hotel. Its original name, a misunderstanding of the Spanish "Berrenda" for "female antelope," was officially corrected to "Berenda" by 1888, although the post office continued using the old name until 1919. The railroad's arrival turned Berenda into an agricultural hub, promoting the export of wheat and barley. The town grew to include hotels, dining rooms, general stores, blacksmith shops, a laundry, saloons, and a schoolhouse, donated by Henry Miller, a notable landowner, along with five acres of land. The importance of Berenda increased when it became a key transfer point for passengers and goods traveling to

Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is a national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service ...

, especially after the San Joaquin Valley and Yosemite Railroad rail branch to

Raymond Raymond is a male given name of Germanic origin. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷ� ...

was completed in 1886, making it the primary route for Yosemite visitors. The town was largely destroyed by fire in 1907 but was rebuilt. Nonetheless, its role as a Yosemite gateway diminished significantly with the opening of the

Yosemite Valley Railroad The Yosemite Valley Railroad (YVRR) was a Shortline railroad, short-line railroad that operated in California from 1907 to 1945, providing a new mode of travel and tourism for the region. It ran from Merced, California, Merced to the Yosemite N ...

from

Merced Merced (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 86,333, up ...

in 1907. The Berenda post office closed in 1935. The town was mostly wiped off the map in 1949 when

US 99 U.S. Route 99 (US 99) was a main north–south United States Numbered Highway on the West Coast of the United States until 1964, running from Calexico, California, on the Mexican border to Blaine, Washington, on the Canadian border. It was ...

was expanded into a four-lane divided highway.

References

Unincorporated communities in California Unincorporated communities in Madera County, California {{MaderaCountyCA-geo-stub