Ben Gefvert Ranch Historic District

This 57.2-acre farmstead on Whites Bridge Road, west of Fresno, preserves the layout of a late nineteenth century raisin ranch. Charles D. Smith planted the first vineyard and orange trees in 1891 and built the farmhouse and barn. Swedish immigrant Ben Gefvert bought the land in 1900 and added more vines. After his death in 1917 his daughter Anna managed the ranch, and the family has owned it since. The vernacular redwood farmhouse began as one story and gained a second in 1908-09. It has a wraparound porch and a brick foundation. Surrounding it are mature trees seen in 1897 and 1908 photographs and an heirloom rose garden. About 55 acres of raisin grapes remain, some among the oldest in Fresno County, along with an acre of orange trees and the 1880s Schatz Canal on the north edge. Listed under the agriculture theme, the ranch is described as a rare, intact remnant of the county's farming past, with a 1938 garage as the only noncontributing building.