Heidenreich, John

Born in Bavaria in 1845, John Heidenreich served in the German artillery during the Franco-Prussian War before immigrating to the United States in 1871 to escape European militarism. After living in Illinois and successfully improving a 160-acre farm in Sac County, Iowa, he visited Fresno County in 1903 and purchased forty acres on Madera Avenue near Vinland.

Heidenreich permanently settled on his Fresno County property in 1907, transforming it into a productive vineyard primarily planted with Thompson Seedless grapes and joining the California Associated Raisin Company. Predeceased by his wife, Mary (Raab) Heidenreich, with whom he had twelve children, he was an active Democrat, a devout member of the Roman Catholic Church in Fresno, and a highly respected figure in the community.