DATE: November 28, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sally Gomez, Interim County Librarian
David Rodriguez, Chair, Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission
SUBJECT: Historic Place - Smith's Ferry
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve designation and placement of Smith's Ferry on the County's Register of Historic Places; and
2. Authorize the Chairman to execute the certificate for a Historic Place.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with these actions, which will allow Smith's Ferry to be placed on the County's List of Historic Places. The Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission recommends historic and prehistoric sites and structures to be listed on the Fresno County's List of Historic Places. Approval by the Board of Supervisors encourages preservation of the County's history. This item pertains to a location in District 4.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board could choose to not approve these actions, which would result in Smith's Ferry not being placed on the County's Register of Historic Places at this time.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions.
DISCUSSION:
The Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission is recommending your Board approve the application to add Smith's Ferry to the County's List of Historic Places.
James Smith (1821-1862) and family established a hotel and ferry at the site now known as Smith's Ferry Park in 1885. In the estimation of pioneer historian John McCubbin, Smith's Ferry was probably the most important ferry crossing on the King's River from 1855 until it's closing in 1874. It was the only ferry that could cross the river during time of high water.
James Smith was selected as Fresno County's first public administrator when the county was established in 1856. Smith was elected to the county Board of Supervisors in 1858. In 1861 he was elected to the California State Assembly.
In 1884, the abandoned hotel, then own...
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