Robinson, Winfield Scott

Winfield Scott Robinson, born near Louisville, Clay County, Illinois, on October 15, 1849, was the son of William H. Robinson and Hannah Clark. His father was a prominent educator and public official who built the first schoolhouse in his district before passing away in 1852. Winfield Scott was subsequently raised by his grandfather, Robert Robinson, a veteran of the War of 1812, and assisted on the family farm until he reached the age of twenty-one. Seeking new opportunities, he arrived in California on March 13, 1871, and spent several years leasing land to raise grain near Modesto. Although low prices and a business failure caused financial losses, he persevered and relocated to Fresno County in 1879.

Upon moving near Selma, he purchased 240 acres of land to engage in general farming, experimenting with vines, orchards, alfalfa, and grain. He later expanded his business ventures by running hotels in Laton and Fresno before purchasing twenty-five choice acres in the Arizona Colony in 1908. He transformed this land into a fine orchard for peaches, berries, and alfalfa, utilizing the Herndon Canal and a private pumping plant. On August 20, 1885, he married Nellie Clark, the daughter of early Tulare County settlers C. Andrew and Eliza Clark, and together they raised one daughter named Alice. Politically active as a Republican and a strong advocate of temperance, he also dedicated his efforts to public canal ownership and served as a master of the Selma Masonic Lodge.