Hanford is named for James Madison Hanford , a railroad executive , after the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks were laid through a sheep camp in the year 1877 . According to '' History of Kings County '' : " It was but a short step from sheep-camp to village and with the railroad as an attraction the village flourished and became a town within a few historic months . " In 1880 , a dispute over land titles between settlers and the Southern Pacific Railroad resulted in a bloody gun battle on a farm northwest of Hanford that left seven men dead . This event became famous as the Mussel Slough Tragedy
Mussel Slough Tragedy
Mussel Slough Tragedy
Hanford, California