Joe Moore

1 week ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

The San Joaquin River connects three of the defining features of California's landscape, the Sierra Nevada Central Valley in San Francisco Bay the river and its tributaries cover a drainage of over 15,000 square miles. Today on KVPR Central Valley roots the story of the river and how it earned its many names. Long before the river was called the San Joaquin, native peoples lived along its banks and fished its waters.

1 week ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

It’s often said that Fresno is the largest city in the U.S. that isn’t directly served by an interstate highway. So why is that? Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of Highway 99 and Interstate 5. In 1926 the federal government began rolling out a system of national numbered highways. U.S. Route 99 was one of the first such roads. In the San Joaquin Valley it followed the path of an earlier state highway, along today’s Union Pacific railroad. But it was far from the freeway we know today.

2 weeks ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

The arrival of the railroad in the 1870’s revolutionized life in Central Valley. It connected the region to the rest of the nation and helped industry and agriculture grow. But the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific were essentially one company, and they held a powerful transportation monopoly. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of an upstart rival that brought competition to the valley.

2 weeks ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

It’s a ritual for many Valley residents on road trips to the coast – a pit stop in Los Banos along Highway 152. It’s the perfect spot to stretch your legs, get a bite to eat, and use the bathroom before heading up and over the Pacheco Pass. But contrary to the urban legend, the town isn't named for those bathrooms. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the real story behind the name Los Banos.

4 weeks ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

In many ways the Central Valley we know today was born in the 1870's. The decade gave us irrigation canals, the railroad, and the emergence of cities like Fresno and Bakersfield. But an often overlooked law from that decade had an equally large impact, helping to fuel explosive growth of the agriculture industry that still drives our economy. Today on KVPR's Central Valley Roots - the “No Fence” law of 1874. Even before the Gold Rush, ranching ruled supreme in California.