Ripon, California is the Southern most town in San Joaquin County and borders the Stanislaus River. But, don’t let its small size fool you; the town is full of history. William Gulnack, a New York native, made his way to California and upon arriving in the new frontier, entered into several businesses with Captain Charles Weber. Their ventures were very diverse and successful, but Gulnack soon found the enterprises tiring and yearned for a simpler life. With that hope, he secured land grant number 20, making him the proud owner of a large portion of what would someday become San Joaquin County. Gulnack stablished a ranch for himself, his son and his friend but became disillusioned by the Wild West. Tragedy soon struck Gulnack when his property was looted during the Mexican-American War, and he faced the death of his dear friend. As a result, he sold his land grant to Captain Weber for next to nothing and the area merged with Captain Weber’s previous existing land.
As the dust settled from the American-Mexican War, a path was cleared for the discovery of gold, forever changing the landscape of California and bringing a population explosion to the untamed west. The area of Ripon was known as Murphy’s Ferry and operated as one of many river crossing settlements utilized by the miners. By 1871 the gold rush had all but died down and many areas converted accordingly. Murphy’s Ferry was no exception and it soon acquired a new proprietor and a new name. Stanislaus City, named no doubt for the proximity to the river, blossomed into a pioneer settlement. However, the town itself, as known today, did not really develop until 1874. It was at this time that Ampilas B. Crooks opened his store and once again renamed the area after his home town in Wisconsin. With the name came town advances like the first post office in 1875, in addition to the first school, blacksmith, shop, hotel and fourteen homes.
Despite the progress and population growth, Ripon still maintained Murphy’s Ferry. It acted as the only real way to cross the Stanislaus River. It was not until 1885 that a wooden bridge was constructed easing transportation, and soon replaced the outdated Murphy’s Ferry. The wooden bridge saw a lot of traffic which resulted in its replacement in 1905 by a concrete bridge. With the coming of the concrete bridge, came well-known organizations. These include the South San Joaquin Irrigation District, Ripon High School and the Bank of Ripon. Ripon had entered the 20th century as a thriving, well-organized community.