Fairmead near Chowchilla in Madera County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Hardpan

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, October 12, 2024

1. Hardpan Marker

Inscription. From the earliest days, anyone who has had to dig in the Valley soil, knows about hardpan, and swears at it. Bent and broken shovels, broken picks, bent pry bars, sore backs, and bad moods are all the results of hardpan. One of the earliest roads, The Stockton to Los Angeles Road, had a route through the valley and another in the foothills. The valley soil in winter would become impassible because hardpan would not let the soil drain, causing very boggy patches, so the foothill route was then used. Hardpan is a distinct very dense layer of soil found 1' to 6' below the surface, and it is impervious to water and plant roots. Hardpan is caused by naturally occuring minerals in the soil that bind together with the soil particles. The minerals consist of dissolved silica, iron oxides, and calcium carbonate. Formation of hardpan is dependent on how well water will flow through the soil particles, and water will not flow through them well. Clay particles have a strong negative electrostatic charge that causes positively charged ions, to bond with them, and the resultant combination creates strongly cemented hardpan.

Dedicated in the year 2021
E Clampus Vitus
Grub Gulch Chapter 41-49

Erected 2021

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by E Clampus Vitus Grub Gulch Chapter 41-49.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus series list.

Location. 37° 3.637′ N, 120° 11.622′ W. Marker is near Chowchilla, California, in Madera County. It is in Fairmead. It is at the intersection of Road 19 1/2 and Avenue 21 1/2, on the right when traveling south on Road 19 1/2. The plaque is mounted in a stone masonry foundation in the parking lot of the Fossil Discovery Center of Madera County. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 19450 Avenue 21 1/2, Chowchilla CA 93610, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Joaquin Valley,

specifically in the Central Valley,

and in the Sierra Nevada.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, October 12, 2024

2. Hardpan Marker

Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mammoth Orange (within shouting distance of this marker); Berenda (approx. 2.7 miles away); Dixieland School (approx. 3 miles away); Chowchilla Union High School (approx. 5.4 miles away); Railroads of Chowchilla (approx. 5½ miles away); a different marker also named Railroads of Chowchilla (approx. 5½ miles away); Dairyland School (approx. 7.1 miles away); Madera County Library Service (approx. 10.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chowchilla.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, October 12, 2024

3. Hardpan Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 27, 2024, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 268 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 27, 2024, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.