Ernestine Winchell and the Pioneer Women
of Fresno County, California:
Available February 2025
support a local business:
Pick up a copy in person at:
Petunia’s Place books in Fresno:
6027 N. Palm Avenue, Fresno, CA 93704
See Jeannine at her next event to sign your copy!
Event: Independent Bookstore Day
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 1-3pm
Location: Petunia’s Place books in Fresno: 6027 N. Palm Avenue, Fresno, CA 93704
Prefer to order online:
Rediscovering Fresno County, California: A Glimpse into the Lives of Women Pioneers, their Struggles, Successes, and Inter-Racial Relations in the 1800s.
This riveting narrative takes you back to Fresno County, California in the latter half of the 1800s, illuminating the lives and experiences of women pioneers. Featured at its core is Ernestine Miller Winchell, a prolific writer whose significant work has been salvaged from the brink of obscurity. Through her vivid accounts, we journey into the wilderness of the Sierra in eastern Fresno County, and visit emerging towns like Mariposa, and see the town of Fresno emerge Fresno, Fowler, and Selma.
Step into the shoes of women who trekked thousands of miles to reach Fresno County, battling the odds to survive in a wild, untamed land. Witness the compelling stories of indigenous women, and the first Black woman in Millerton, as Winchell paints an evocative picture of the relationships between different races that came to define this period.
Ernestine Winchell and the Pioneer Women of Fresno County, California introduces you to women who led the way in art, agriculture, dairy science, and society. Learn about the lady who played an instrumental role in establishing Tollhouse, and the Californio landowner who created middle-class housing and Fresno’s Nob Hill amidst the town’s late 19th-century population boom.
Discover the courage of Mariposa's women, who stood firm against the derogatory treatment by the local newspaper editor. Read the long-lost document by Lizzie McGee, providing a firsthand account of life among the Sierra sawmills. Once included in this book, it will be the only published copy, other than the scarce photocopies in selected historical archives.
This book is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of these women pioneers, who shaped the fabric of Fresno County. It's not just a slice of history, but a testament to their resilience, determination, and the lasting impact they left on society. Rediscover Fresno County through the lens of the women who lived, loved, and led here in the 1800s.
Fresno’s wilson island and
Rosanna Cooper Wilson, the woman behind it
support a local business:
Pick up a copy in person at:
Petunia’s Place books in Fresno:
6027 N. Palm Avenue, Fresno, CA 93704
Prefer to order online:
In Fresno’s Wilson Island and Rosanna Cooper Wilson, the Woman Behind It, author Jeannine Raymond, PhD, delves into the history of the district, located in California’s Central San Joaquin Valley, and its developer, Rosanna Cooper Wilson. A grandniece of Californio General Mariano Vallejo, and granddaughter of Juan Bautista Rogers Cooper, she grew up in Castroville in the late 1800s and left to Fresno a legacy which is today one of only four registered historic districts in the city. This legacy in the heart of today’s Tower District played a pivotal role in the post-World War I northward expansion of the town and is recognized by architectural experts for its collection of museum-quality homes.
Rosanna’s life was not without scandal. Someone close to her had her father’s name secretly redacted from her baptismal record to hide her existence as her father’s eldest daughter. This haunted her throughout her adult life, but she pushed through the adversity and became a land baroness worth over $3.6 million at her death in Fresno in 1947. This book is her story, and the story of the Wilson Island.
Awarded to Jeannine after her publication of the first book, Rosanna Cooper Wilson, The Woman Behind It.