Once part of Mariposa and Fresno counties, this area was traversed by local Indians, fur traders, explorers, and gold seekers. The first settlement in what is now Madera County was sixteen miles up the Fresno River, where James D. Savage located his store, traded with local Indians, and gathered gold. An early stage line from Stockton to Millerton and Visalia crossed the Fresno River at another so-called Fresno Crossing about twelve miles from what is now the City of Madera. Madera's growth was due to the flume built by the Madera Flume and Trading Company, later the Madera Sugar Pine Company. The city of Madera, named by William H. Thurman, began development in 1875 when lumber started arriving at the railhead via the fifty-five-mile-long Sugar Pine Flume. The community was laid out and lots were auctioned. The first hotel was built and owned by Captain R. P. Mace and named Yosemite Hotel, and a general merchandise store, a post office, and drug store were among the first buildings in Madera. In 1878, E. Moore was the first postmaster. In 1879, General U.S. Grant visited the El Capitan Hotel en route to Yosemite via rail and stage. On May 16, 1893, Madera officially became a county of the State of California with an area of 2,153 square miles. Fourteen years later, on March 27, 1907, the city of Madera was incorporated.