Evidence of human presence in the Fresno area dates back at least 8000 years. The Yokuts people were the sole inhabitants of the region until the mid-19th century. The first white settlers were Forty-Niners who arrived during the California gold rush, which began in 1848. Fresno County was created in 1856, but the city was not founded until the coming of the Central Pacific Railroad in 1872. The building of the first irrigation system in 1876, facilitated be Moses Church's “church ditches,” spurred development of the region's rich agricultural potential. Local citizens voted to incorporate the city of Fresno in 1885.
Fresno grew steadily throughout the 20th century. In 1910 it was the scene of a protracted labor dispute led by the radical Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Chester H. Rowell, editor of the Fresno Morning Republican, later became one of the leaders of the statewide progressive reform movement. By the mid-1950s Fresno County had become the nation's leading agricultural county. One of Fresno's challenges in the 1990s is the assimilation of the city's massive population growth. The city's development projects in the 1990s included the expansion of the convention center and the construction of a sports stadium.
