Reyburn, Leslie Devoe

Leslie Devoe Reyburn, born in Salida, Stanislaus County, on September 7, 1876, was the son of Joseph D. Reyburn, a prominent pioneer who eventually accumulated over 2,500 acres of land in the Red Bank district of Fresno County. Growing up in this industrious household, Leslie was educated in the public schools of Red Bank and the Jefferson district before assisting his father on the family ranch until he reached the age of twenty-one. He initially engaged in grain-raising for six years on leased land with equipment provided by his father, but light crops eventually prompted him to pivot into a different agricultural field. His early life and labor closely aligned with the agricultural traditions established by his family during the rapid development of early California.

Transitioning into viticulture, Leslie received forty acres of stubble land southeast of Clovis from his father, which he leveled, improved, and developed into a beautiful estate named the La Frances Vineyards. He planted a diverse selection of grapes, including muscats, malagas, and seedless varieties, alongside a portion of figs, and built a handsome residence on the property in 1907. Highly active in local community and civic affairs, he served as a school trustee for both the Jefferson district and the Clovis Union High School board, sat on the Grand Jury in 1917, and supported local raisin and peach associations. Alongside his wife, Frances Dawson, whom he married on October 22, 1902, and their three children, Harold, Milton, and Leland, he maintained strong ties to the First Presbyterian Church and various fraternal organizations in Clovis.