The story of Fresno’s Wilson Island begins with its creator, Rosanna Cooper Wilson. She is an example of the often-forgotten role of women in the early development of California’s Central San Joaquin Valley. A descendant of Alta California land grant families, Rosanna was a diminutive woman born in 1859 who was proud of her Spanish heritage. She left a legacy to Fresno, California, that is today one of only four registered historic districts in Fresno. It played a pivotal role in the northern expansion of the town and is noted today by nationally recognized architectural experts for its collection of museum quality homes.

Developing land was in her genes. She was the granddaughter of Juan Bautista Rogers Cooper and grandniece of General Mariano Vallejo, two famous figures of power and influence in Alta California in the 1800s who would have been proud of her accomplishments had they lived to see what she achieved.

Throughout her adult life, she was haunted by the knowledge that someone close to her had her father’s name secretly redacted from her baptismal record at the Cathedral San Carlos Borromeo in Monterey to hide her existence as her father’s eldest daughter by his first wife. Pushing through the adversity, she became a land baroness worth over $3.6 million when she died in Fresno in 1947. This is her story, and the story of the Wilson Island.