New exhibit examines, highlights Merced County’s diverse cultures, immigrants and pioneers

Merced County’s diverse culture and rich history remind us it is the value of hard work and frugality, the journey of struggle and endurance, and the hope for prosperity and happiness that bind us together.

This shared experience is illustrated in our new exhibit, titled “Settlement of Merced County: From Homestead to Colonization.”

Opening on Oct. 14 at the Courthouse Museum, the exhibit, featuring over 30 story panels and more than a dozen maps, will explore how ethnicity, national origin, geography, and religion played a role in the creation of Merced’s settlements.

Some of the stories that will be explored include Merced Falls’ Indian Reservation, Snelling’s Southern influence, Robla’s Irish settlement, Badger Flat’s Italian farmers, Buhach Colony’s Portuguese roots, South Dos Palos’ Black community, Delhi State Land Settlement, Hilmar’s Swedish Colony, Merced’s Jewish community, and Calpak’s Mexican migrant camps.

The exhibit also will examine the rise or fall of the Crocker-Huffman colonies and the push and pull factors in the establishment of Merced’s ethnic neighborhoods.

In 1855, Merced County was carved out from Mariposa County, and Snelling became the first county seat. Snelling was considered a transplanted Southern town because many of its pioneer settlers came from the Southern states.

For example, Merced County’s first Supervisor John Montgomery and his friend, Samuel Scott, were from Kentucky. Judge J. W. Robertson and Assembly candidate J. W. Bost were from Mississippi. Robert Steele, the publisher of the Merced Banner, the first newspaper in Merced County, was a North Carolina native. This Democratic Party paper was destroyed by Union soldiers in 1864 during the Civil War.

In late 1868, a large group of Irish immigrants came down from Napa Valley, where they had settled as wheat farmers. Like other settlers, these 15 families homesteaded a large portion of land just south of modern-day Merced in the area between Bear Creek and Mariposa Creek, east of Carroll’s Place, and west of Robla.

By 1871, about 26 Irish families farmed 13,910 acres in grain in the Robla Settlement. To support the Irish community, the Irish-American Benevolent Society was organized in Merced on June 9, 1873.

Meanwhile on the Westside, the Italian immigrants were building their settlement in Badger Flat, about three miles directly north of present-day Los Banos. The Italians began settling in this area in the early 1870s.

Although initially very poor and only able to afford a few acres per family, they quickly established a foothold through hard work and thrift. Giuseppe “Joe” Cirimele, for example, came to California in 1872 and worked for Miller and Lux before saving up enough money to buy 20 acres in Badger Flat. Joe’s story exemplifies the industriousness of Badger Flat settlers.

The year 1888 marks the turning point in the settlement of eastern Merced County as Crocker-Huffman Canal and Irrigation Company now supplied water to much of the formerly non-irrigated land. In addition, Crocker-Huffman soon bought up the land and started colonization. As a result, many settlements were developed and promoted for specific groups.

For example, Rotterdam Colony for the Dutch, British Colony for the English, Hilmar Colony for the Swedes, Yamato Colony for the Japanese, just to name a few. While some survived and thrived, others died and disappeared.

Rotterdam Colony, just a short distance north of Merced between Lake Yosemite and G Street, was organized in 1889.

The Crocker-Huffman Land and Water Company sold land to the Holland California Company which heavily promoted to Dutch immigrants. Many of the Dutch colonists were educated professionals, mostly married and with families.

A town quickly sprang up; at its zenith, it had 100 homes and a permanent schoolhouse. Unfortunately, the farmers were not given an accurate description of the area’s conditions, and the community soon failed due to poor soil and inexperienced farmers. Much of the area is now a part of the Merced Golf and Country Club.

While Rotterdam Colony failed, Yamato Colony thrived. Just east of Livingston, the 2,000-acre Yamato Colony settled by Issei in 1906 was developed by Kyutaro Abiko, a Japanese newspaper publisher and businessman. Abiko promoted the settlement to his countrymen in the Japanese language newspapers in San Francisco.

These colonists were Japanese Christians who had some capital and were able to transport their own supplies and materials to Yamato. Yamato residents not only struggled with hardships like many of the pioneer settlers, but also had to deal with racial prejudice on a constant basis from their neighbors. They started with barely anything in 1906, but by 1917 they were shipping 260 carloads of fruit annually.

The Yamato story highlights the contributions of immigrants in the building of the Merced County agricultural empire. As intensive farming continued to demand hard physical labor in the fields, other ethnic groups stepped in to fill the vacuum in the first half of the 20th century.

This led to the establishment of Black neighborhoods in South Dos Palos and South Merced and the creation of labor camps for Mexican migrant workers and braceros throughout the county.

Please join us at the exhibit opening at 5 p.m. on Oct. 14 to explore our county’s rich heritage. During the reception, Kristi Kelechenyi of Merced County GIS Department will show you how to trace these Merced County settlements with your mobile device in an interactive PowerPoint presentation at 6 p.m.

The Courthouse Museum is located at 621 W. 21st Street in Merced.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, seating is limited and will be first come, first served. A smaller, virtual version of the exhibit designed by Rocco Bowman can be seen at https://arcg.is/1Teau80.