Lemoore Timeline

  • The Tachi-Yokut tribe inhabits the area that will become Kings County.
  • 1805 – Río de los Santos Reyes (river of the Holy Kings) discovered by a party of Spanish explorers, later to be called the Kings River.
  • 1843 – Laguna De Tache Land grant was granted to Manuel Castro.
  • 1850 – California admitted to the union.
  • 1853  – First U. S. survey of Townships 18 south and 19 south, Range 20 east.
  • 1856 – Tulare surveyed dividing point between Townships 18 and 19.
  • 1856 – Daniel Rhoads and his brothers drive their cattle from  Old Gilroy to free graze their cattle along the banks of the Kings River.
  • 1856 –  Daniel Rhoads has an adobe home constructed by members of the Tache-Yokuts Tribe.
  • 1856 – Justin “Cap” and Jonathan Esrey, Daniel Rhoads’ nephews, remained to tend to their uncles cattle.
  • 1856-1864 – Most residents of the area were stockmen and resided at Kingston, John Sutherland, Lewis Waggoner, Ezra and Enos Wright.
  • 1864 – Ezra and Enos Wright bought two sections from John  Sutherland east of what will become 18th Avenue.
  • 1865 – John Heinlen began purchasing swamp and overflow land along the Kings River in Fresno and Tulare Counties.
  • 1865 – Daniel and Amanda Rhoads moved here to assume control of their Cattle operation.
  • 1865 – The Rhoads School was opened and later renamed Lake School along north side of what will become Lacey Blvd.
  • 1865 – 1867 – Other members of the Rhoads family arrived.
  • 1865 – Franciscus Bras entered property on the south side of what will become Lacey Blvd., opposite the Lake School.
  • 1865 – Lewis Waggoner entered land at what would become the intersection of 19 Avenue and Hanford-Armona Road
  • 1867 – Moses Bush arrives in Tulare County.
  • 1873 – March 22, Kings County formed from the western part of Tulare County.
  • 1874 – Dr. Lovern Lee Moore, Granville Weston Follett, Dr. Benjamin Hamlin, Joel Fox and Byron Sweetland all arrive in Tulare County.
  • 1875 – Julius Fox arrives in Tulare County.
  • 1875 – Lemoore Post Office established.
  • 1877 – Southern Pacific Railroad reaches Lemoore.
  • 1893 – Kings County formed from a western part of Tulare County.
  • 1900 – July 4th, the City of Lemoore incorporated.
  • 1901 – The Lemoore High School District was formed.
  • 1901 – The first steam driven tractors arrived, purchased by Hi Clawson.
  • 1902 – The Street Department was added to the city services and the city’s water system was expanded.
  • 1904 – The Lemoore Lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows was built on the corner of D and Heinlen Streets.
  • 1909 – 208 square miles from Fresno County were added to Kings County by the state legislature.
  • 1941 – Lemoore Army Airfield commissioned.
  • 1961 – Lemoore Naval Air Station commissioned.