Goyette, William M.

Wm. M. Goyette, born in Quebec, Canada, in 1860, spent his youth working on farms in Vermont and Massachusetts before migrating to Pomona, California, in December 1883. After several years of local agricultural employment, he married California native Elizabeth Maddock in 1889 and acquired a ranch southeast of Pomona, where he successfully introduced the area’s first artesian well-pumping irrigation system. In 1910, Goyette strategically traded this property for a massive 920-acre ranch near Friant, establishing a highly successful multi-generational enterprise focused on grain, hay, and cattle production.

A dedicated community builder, Goyette served faithfully as a clerk and trustee for the local Millerton school district while maintaining an active membership in the Independent Order of Foresters. Together with his wife, he raised four children: Loretto and Linus, who assisted with the family ranching operations; Amos, who served honorably overseas with the United States Engineers during the World War; and Lorean, a normal school graduate who taught locally. Goyette remains highly esteemed across Fresno County as an innovative, self-made stockman who contributed significantly to the growth and educational infrastructure of his adopted community.