George Hicks Fancher, 1828 - 1900

What it is the final resting place of local rancher George Hicks Fancher, 1828 - 1900. His tombstone was the subject of a lawsuit that whent to the state court of appeals. Fancher's will set aside $25,000 for burial and a "monument" on one of his ranches. One of his sons wanted to spend a measly $2,000 on the gravestone in the local cemetery and build a library in Merced with the rest. Another son wanted the will followed to the letter, and so the legal battle began. The court ruled, in effect, that monument means monument, and that his wish to be buried on his ranch was to be followed. So the current monument was erected presumably with him under it (no evidence of his original burial in the local cemetery remains). Yosemite travelers gained an unexpected sight on the way to the park.

The monument has become a convenient hitching post for homily writers since the facts take a little research, they can fashion what ever lesson they choose form the unexplained monument without fear of being easily contradicted. But then homilies are about the lesson, not historical accuracy.

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