Minturn | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 37°08′23″N 120°16′28″W / 37.13972°N 120.27444°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Madera County |
Elevation | 236 ft (72 m) |
Minturn is an unincorporated community in Madera County, California. [1] It is located on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and California State Route 99 1.5 miles (2 km) north-northwest of Chowchilla, [2] at an elevation of 236 feet (72 m). [1] Minturn is near the Geographic Center of California, between Madera and Merced.
A post office operated at Minturn from 1884 to 1922. [2] The name honors Jonas and Thomas Minturn, wheat farmers who had a railroad siding built at the place in 1872. [2] Jonas (April 4, 1819–August 1, 1884) and Abby West (March 8, 1820–May 19, 1899) Minturn (m. 1843), settled in the area in the 19th century and are buried nearby. [3]
The Minturn Nut Company is located nearby at 8800 S. Minturn Road, Le Grand. [4]
Jonas Minturn was a member of the same family that ran Grinnell, Minturn & Co.
Jonas and Abby West Minturn's children were Mary, Thomas, Gertrude, Madeline, and James. [5] James W. Minturn went on to run The Sharon Estate. He built a country home in Sunnyside, Fresno County in 1912 and completed it in 1913. The home still stands today across from Sunnyside Country Club. He was killed as a result of an automobile accident in 1917. He was survived by his wife Rozene Minturn. (Fresno Morning Republican Newspaper)