The arrival of the railroad in 1887 brought rumors of Kings River Lumber Company's plan to build a flume for shipping lumber from the forest to the valley floor, and the town literally boomed overnight. Founded in 1888, Sanger officially incorporated in 1911 and was named in honor of Joseph Sanger, secretary of the Southern Pacific Railroad Yardmasters Association. In 1866, early pioneer Mary Jane Hazelton planted the area's first orange grove. Later, Harvey Akers established the first vineyard. In the 1920s, after many years of struggle, the lumber era came to a close and was replaced by agriculture. Packinghouses sprang up around Sanger, and area fruit was shipped around the country via the railroad.