Running adjacent to the North Fork River lies the larger-than-life Jesse Ross Cabin. Built in 1860 by Jesse Blakey Ross himself, the cabin is one of the oldest log structures located within Madera County, California. Constructed using ponderosa pine, the cabin is a one-and-a-half story, single-pen, square-hewn log cabin that was built to be part of the larger homestead established by Ross.

Ross was born in Missouri in 1835 and headed westward during the Gold Rush, working for many years as a mine supplier. During this time period, he discovered the site on which he would eventually build the cabin. The structure started out as a simple one-and-a-half story cabin meant to provide basic shelter for Ross. Eventually, he met and married Mary Waspi, a local Mono tribe member. The two eventually had a daughter named Julia Belle Ross, and with this new addition to their family, the cabin was expanded to meet their needs. Ross divided the interior of the cabin into two areas and established a small room located in the attic.

Most notably, the cabin was surrounded by acres of land primed for agricultural activities. It was on this land that Jesse planted a five-acre apple orchard and cultivated different bean varieties to sell in the nearby community of Fresno, California. In 1900, Jesse received a Homestead Patent, granting the Ross family ownership of the land for agricultural use. For years, Jesse, Julia (and her family), as well as a ranch employee tended to the land and cabin. After the death of Jesse, ownership of the ranch passed through many hands and was eventually sold to the first schoolteacher in Selma, Samuel L. Hogue. The Hogue family expanded agricultural use of the land and even established a sawmill to build boxes for transporting produce within the region.

The Jesse Ross Cabin was donated to the United States Forest Service in 1990 and was moved from its original location to a new home across from the Clearwater Fire Station. Each part of the cabin was numbered, labeled, and transported to the new site. Volunteers originally worked with the Forest Service to dismantle and rebuild the fireplace, as well as replace the structure’s deteriorated logs. Over the years, many dedicated individuals have played a part in the preservation of this awe-inspiring cabin. The determination and spirit of the early settlers of the Sierra Nevada live on in the walls of the Jesse Ross Cabin, and we hope you’ll chose to be a part of the cabin’s story. Register today for a preservation experience that you won’t forget.