Visit Jesse Ross Cabin, Sierra National Forest, California

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The Jesse Ross Cabin is one of the scenic stops along the 90 mile Sierra Vista National Scenic Byway. The cabin was built in the late 1860s by Jesse Blakey Ross and its traditional log cabin design shows the pioneer spirit and technology of the mid-nineteenth century. It is also the oldest known residence still standing in Madera County, representing a significant period in the EuroAmerican settlement. Until the 1930s, this was the “end of the road” and the beginning of the John French Trail which crossed the Sierra Nevada to Mammoth Lakes. The Mono people, the first inhabitants of the area, had annually used this and other trails to travel to the east for over a thousand years. These routes provided the Mono a chance to trade native resources and gather with families and tribes. Jesse Blakey Ross, born in April 1835, came west from Missouri during the Gold Rush. Ross's Scot -Irish parents made their home in Kentucky. By the 1860s Ross made his way to Mariposa County and packed in supplies to the mines. It was during this time that he found this site and began construction on the 1½ story cabin. Jesse Ross was of slight build, standing almost six feet tall and had thick dark hair. During one of his trips to the mountains, he met Mary Waspi, a Mono Indian. Not long afterward they were married and in December 1871, Mary gave birth to their only child, Julia Belle Ross.Jesse divided the interior of the cabin, adding two separate rooms, one for himself and his wife and one for his new daughter. During the mid-1880s Mary left and returned to her people never living on the ranch again. Daughter Julia Belle Ross attended the Rachel Ward School in Fresno. There she met Frank G. Hallock, a native of New York, and in 1891, Julia and Frank were married. Julia gave birth to a son, Homer. In 1900, Jesse Ross died and was buried on his ranch. Frank, Julia, Homer, Henry Super and an Indian employee named martin were living on the ranch when Jesse Ross died. Julia inherited the ranch in 1902 and was in poor health. She died in 1904 and was buried next to her father. Frank continued to farm the ranch, raising apples and beans until 1910, when he sold the ranch to Samuel L. Hogue.  

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