Chowchilla

Chowchilla History

The colorful past of what would become Chowchilla and Madera County began in the spring of 1844 when John Fremont and his party made their way across the region.

Interesting Facts About Chowchilla

1976 Bus Kidnapping.  On July 15, 1976, a busload of children aged 5 to 14, and their school bus driver, Ed Ray (then 55), were abducted on a country road in Madera County about 4 p.m. on their way back from a swim outing at the fairgrounds. It was a crime that transfixed the nation and affected many people in our quiet farming community.

Edward Ray - A Local Hero. 

Thursday, July 15, 1976 plunged the Chowchilla area communities into darkness, but also into the national new spotlight when a school bus with 26 children ages 5 to 14 years along with the bus driver had disappeared. Nearly 30 hours later, on July 17, Dairyland and Chowchilla rejoiced in the BEST day ever when the 26 children and their bus driver walked up to a night watchman at a rock quarry in Livermore, California, 100 miles away, all safe and secure.

Chowchilla Western Stampede Cattle Drive

The annual spring Chowchilla Western Stampede Cattle Drive down the main street of Robertson Boulevard in Chowchilla, California first began on Friday, March 28, 1958.