If one could enter a time machine and go back to 1808, Stanislaus County would be wild and free without a single road, bridge or home.
Long before there were any permanent settlements along the rivers that ran through what would become Stanislaus County the Valley saw many transient explorers, hunters, and trappers.
The first white man to enter the great San Joaquin Valley was Sergeant Gabriel Moraga. In the fall of 1806 he led an expedition from Mission San Juan Bautista into the Central Valley and named the rivers he came into contact with. He explored along the foothills to the east and the first river that he crossed in Stanislaus County was the Tuolumne River, which he named the Rio Dolores.
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This article about my county in California is from the Ceres Courier, the very conservative weekly newspaper from my old hometown. Check out the editorial/opinions page if you get a chance and you'll see what I mean.
They do allow 2 free articles per day, so if you hit a paywall after a couple just come back the next day and try again. They publish every Wednesday.
