Yraceburu, Jose M.

Jose M. Yraceburu, born in Villanueva, Navarra, Spain, on September 27, 1874, was the oldest of eleven children born to Jose Ramon and Firmina (Erro) Yraceburu. Due to his family modest circumstances, he began working for a farmer at eight and a half years old and continued in agriculture until joining the Spanish army at nineteen. After serving in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, he returned to Spain in 1899 before immigrating to California and settling in Fresno in 1900.

Upon his arrival in Fresno County, Jose worked for a West Side sheepman for ten years before using his savings to purchase his own band of sheep. He improved his ranch with a residence and farm buildings, expanding his operations by leasing land to sow between 1,200 and 1,500 acres of grain annually. He married Trinidad Cerdu in Hanford on July 12, 1909, and together they had two children, Jose Raymond and Gabino. A dedicated and naturalized American citizen as of 1912, he established himself as a successful farmer and stockman on Fresno County West Side.