Semper, Natalio

Natalio Semper, born in Yance, Navarra, Spain, on March 12, 1876, was an enterprising merchant and rancher who built his fortune in California. He immigrated to New York City at seventeen years old before coming west in 1893 with only a few dollars in his pocket. Upon arriving in Mendota, Fresno County, he worked for Miller & Lux managing a band of sheep for low wages on the plains and in the mountains. He then worked for Celayeta & Yrigoyen for five years, eventually receiving a bunch of sheep as payment to start his own livestock business. Through fourteen years of hard labor and ranging up to 7,000 sheep across Central and Northern California, he eventually earned strong profits despite facing market drops in wool and lamb prices.

In 1909, after a period of driving horses from Oregon and resuming sheep-raising, Mr. Semper moved to Huron to invest in a general merchandise store. He eventually became the sole owner of the business in 1917 while continuing his agricultural pursuits by farming 1,000 acres of grain with partner I. R. Hain. He owned eighty acres of land and eleven town lots in Huron, multiple houses in Fresno and Stockton, a grain warehouse, and held stock in the Growers National Bank of Fresno. Married to Telesfara Barcenilla on December 20, 1906, in Stockton, he raised seven children: Juanita, Guadalupe, Alfonzo, Martin, Felisa, Miguel, and Ethel. His diverse operations as a merchant, stockman, and corporate agricultural investor made him a prominent figure in the development of Fresno County.