History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 24

Author: Sawyer, Eugene T
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1934

USA > California > Santa Clara County > History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches > Part 24

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

There are 2,850 acres of vineyards in Santa Clara County. The acreage has been larger, but the rapid growth of the fruit industry induced many vineyardists to uproot their vines and plant fruit trees. When the Pro- hibition law went into effect in 1919 the vine growers of the state predicted disaster to their business, but the result has shown that they were mistaken. In 1919 the growers of Santa Clara County made more money than was made by them in any year while there was lawful sale for their grapes and wines, the demand coming from the East and Europe. Now wine grapes are dried by dehydration, several plants being in operation. Of course Prohibition did not affect the sale of table grapes. These are grown in the foothills mostly and are of superior quality and size.

Before the American occupation vines were planted here and there through the valley from cuttings procured from the mission, but these plantings could hardly be called vine- yards. The first planting of any magnitude was made by Charles Lefranc at the New Almaden vineyard in 1852. In 1857 he mar- ried Miss Adele Thee, whose father Etienne

Thee, owned a half interest in a tract of land where the New Almaden vineyard was after- wards located. Mr. Lefranc purchased the other half in 1851 and afterward came into ownership of the whole tract.

Thee had planted a few mission vines on the place before Lefranc took charge. The area was then increased, finer varieties be- ing added. The early importations were in 1854 and were made through the house of Henry Schroeder, whose agent in France act- ed for Lefranc in securing cuttings. The first installment arrived and each succeeding season saw additions to the varieties. The Verdal was introduced into this country by Mrs. Lefranc in 1859. She brought the cut- tings on horseback from the Canada Raymude ranch and they were presented to her by a Spanish nobleman who had brought them from the old country.

In 1858 Frank Stock planted a vineyard at the corner of William and Eighth streets, San Jose. He imported valuable German varieties, among which were the Johannisberg Ries- ling, Franklin Riesling, Tramina, Golden Chasselas and Zinfandel. When the vineyard was discontinued in 1869 Mr. Stock presented his vines to Mr. Lefranc, who removed them to the New Almaden vineyard. In course of time the glut of French wine at San Francisco disappeared and there came a demand for more. Then Lefranc turned his attention to wine making, his first considerable vintage be- ing in 1862. He continued his planting until he had 131 acres in vineyard.

Antonio Delmas, like Louis Pellier, was an early importer of wines, his vineyard be- ing on part of what is now Delmas Avenue. Pedro Sainsevain also had some good varie- ties at an early day. . In 1868 Victor Speck- ens had a vineyard of choice grapes in full bearing. This vineyard afterward went into the hands of John Auzerais, of San Jose, who planted many new varieties.

Other plantings of notable varieties were made between 1868 and 1871. The Stocktons planted the Gravelly Hill Vineyard, D. M. Harwood planted the Lone Hill Vineyard, Frank Richmond in the same neighborhood followed suit and Norman Porter selected the Cupertino district for a new vineyard.

This district, now given over mainly to orchards of prunes, apricots and cherries, was once famous for its vineyards. In 1848 Elisha Stevens, who was captain of the Murphy party in 1844, settled on the ranch, afterward known as "Blackberry Farm," and gave his name to Stevens Creek. He planted four acres of Mis- sion grapes on the creek bottom. He also planted blackberries and this action gave the name to his place. Soon after this a Spaniard

141

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

named Novato, who had settled in the foot- hills near Permanente Creek, planted a few cuttings from Captain Stevens' vineyard. With the exception of a few patches here and there that was all the planting done until 1870. Much of the soil was thin and covered with chemisal and had no reputation either for fertility or endurance. Many grain farmers became poor in trying to make a living there and it was considered a pure waste of time and money to endeavor to obtain a living by grape cul- ture. In 1870 S. R. Williams came into the district and took a contract from William Hall to clear the ground and plant 100 acres in vines and care for them for three years. He did this and as pay received a deed to fifty acres of the land. Williams was followed by Portal, who set out the Burgundy vine- vard and by J. F. Thompson who planted forty acres adjoining. They were followed by Hall, Gardner, Wright, Montgomery, Bubb, Farr, Blabon, Hallenbeck, Coombe and others. Nearly all these plantings were made from 1880 to 1885.

Other districts were being developed while the Cupertino planting was going on. The Union and Los Gatos districts, Evergreen, Madrone and the Collns districts, hills above Saratoga and on the eastern side of the valley, toward the Mission San Jose had many spots converted into vineyards. Most of the vines on the San Francisco and Boyter roads, and the foothills near Evergreen were planted aft- er 1880.

In 1856 Lyman J. Burrell planted grapes in the Santa Cruz Mountains near the summit. He was followed by H. C. Morrell, D. C. Feely and many others until the Skyland region be- came famous for its fine output of table grapes. For years hundreds of tons were annually shipped to the East.

In 1919 there were 23,000 olive trees in Santa Clara County. The largest and most important olive farm is known at home and abroad as the "Quito Olive and Vine Farm." It contains eighty-one acres, is eight miles from San Jose and is situated on the Quito road near its junction with Saratoga Avenue. It was formerly a part of the Jose Ramon Ar- guello rancho and was used by him as a coun- try homestead, and here, in 1865, he planted the first of the olives, a small vineyard and a fruit orchard. His death, in 1876, led to a division of the estate and in December, 1882, the olive farm passed into the hands of Ed- ward E. Goodrich, a graduate of Yale and of the Albany Law School. The development of the place has been carried on slowly, but steadily since that date. A few years passed during which time, the entire place was given over to olives. The buildings consist of a mill,

with crusher and press addition, winery, barn, commodious houses for the force of workmen and other appurtenances of an up-to-date insti- tution. In the process of oil making, Mr. Good- rich so improved upon the work of the Ital- ians that it was not long before his products came to be recognized as superior to any sold in the United States. At the great American exhibitions he took first prizes, while the sales were never able to keep pace with the demand. Besides the profit of the olive farm, the tree has certain special attractions. By its almost unlimited life an olive orchard is ever increas- ing in value. By its hardihood it can oc- cupy land not adapted to fruit culture and al- most valueless for general farm uses. Mr. Goodrich died on April 21, 1920. In August, 1919, he had sold the farm to G. Bruces, who will continue the manufacture of oil.

The growing of seeds is carried on exten- sively in Santa Clara County. There are sev- eral companies engaged in this industry, the principal ones being the Braslan Seed Grow- ers Company, Inc., the California Seed Grow- ers Association, Inc., and the Kimberlin Com- pany. The Braslan Company started business in 1905, have seed farms covering 400 acres in Edenvale and Gilroy, and for years had large government contracts. The output of gar- den seeds is now used mainly by the large nurseries and seed distributing establishments of the East, Europe and the Orient. The warehouse is at Coyote Station, twelve miles south of San Jose on the Monterey road and the Gilroy line of the Southern Pacific Rail- way. C. P. Braslan, who started the business, died in 1910, and the company is now a family affair, Mrs. Braslan being the principal owner. The officers are Dr. E. O. Pieper, president and manager; W. E. Evans, secretary and treasurer.

The California Association, an offshoot of the Braslan Company, was organized in 1912, with D. G. Fisher, president; J. W. Edmund- son, vice-president, and Miss Mary Williams, secretary and treasurer. It has 1,000 acres in two farms in Santa Clara County and the warehouse is located in San Jose near the old narrow gauge depot. The garden seeds har- vested find their way to all parts of the world.

The Kimberlin Company-C. R., L. M. and J. L. Kimberlin-controls about 800 acres, the farms being in Milpitas and Gilroy. Like the other companies, the seeds grown have the whole world as a market.

The citrus fruits have been cultivated in Santa Clara County for a period antedating tradition. Orange and lemon trees early found place in the Mission orchards and many were brought to the valley by the early im- migrants from Mexico. They were common

142

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

in the dooryards and gardens of old Spanish homesteads and bore abundant fruit, though not of the best quality. Orange and lemon trees of a better variety were, many years ago, planted on the grounds of W. S. McMlur- try and W. H. Rogers in Los Gatos. They grew thriftily and bore well. Christian Field- sted, on the eastern foothills, had an orchard of oranges and semi-tropical fruits which was a source of considerable profit. In 1880 Harvey Wilcox planted sixteen acres to oranges in the hills overlooking Los Gatos. At six years of age these trees brought a large harvest of beautiful fruit. As a rule citrus fruits were not planted for the market, but as an ornament and to furnish a home supply. For this reason public attention was not called to this branch of horticulture until the winter of 1886-87. At that time the County Horti- cultural Society held a citrus fair, at which oranges and lemons were presented for ex- hibition from 163 different localities in the valley. This exhibition was made, not for the purpose of showing citrus culture as a leading industry of the valley, but to demon- strate to Eastern visitors that Santa Clara County possessed a soil and climate suitable to the growth of these fruits. But orange culture will never become a very important branch of the county's horticulture. This will not be from lack of adaptability of soil and climate, but because it does not pay as well as other lines of fruit growing, nor is it so sure or capable of being conducted with so little expense. But orange and lemon culture still continues on a small scale. In all sec- tions of San Jose and in many parts of the county, particularly in the foothills, may be seen hardy and well-bearing orange and lemon trees.

In aid of the farmers there was organized in 1917 the Santa Clara County Farm Loan Association as a part of District No. 11, which comprises California, Oregon, Nevada and Utah. The National Farm Loan Act, under which the association operates, has for general purposes the lowering and equalization of in- terest rates on first mortgage farm loans ; the providing of long term loans with the privi- lege of repayment in installments through a long or short period of years at the borrower's option ; the assembling of the farm credits of the nation to be used as security for money to be employed in farm development ; the stim- ulating of co-operative action among farmers ; the making easier for the landless to get land and the provision for safe and sound long- term investments for the thrifty. The Fed- eral land banks make the loans and issue their bonds or debentures to investors. The na- tional farm loan associations are organizations

of borrowers and through them applications for loans are made to the Federal land banks. The rate of interest is five and one-half per cent, but a different rate may be charged if found advisable. The secretary-treasurer of the local farm association is required to col- lect the installments from the borrowers in his association and remit them to the Federal land bank. Both interest and principal are included in the equal annual or semi-annual in- stallments throughout the entire period of the loan. The farmer who borrows is required to buy stock of his local association equal to five per cent of his loan. This stock is held by the association as collateral security until the farmer has paid off his loan. With the money which the borrower pays for his stock the association buys stock in the Federal land bank's capital in order that it may make more loans. In case of severe losses experienced by the local loan association which make it un- able to meet its obligations, each borrower is personally liable for an amount equal to the face value of his stock. If loans are conserva- tively made. it is claimed that no loss can reasonably occur that would call for this five per cent liability. If the banks make a profit they will pay dividends on all stock except that held by the government. The Santa Clara County Association has for officers : L. Wood- ard, president; F. M. Righter, vice-president ; L. P. Edwards, secretary. In the Madrone district is another association, with Mrs. S. M. Schofield, Woodard, Righter. R. J. Mayne and Mrs. Agnes Schroeder as directors. The county is also well represented by Granges of the Patrons of Husbandry.

In the line of vegetables Santa Clara County is in the front rank as a producer. In 1919 over a million cases of canned tomatoes, string beans, peas, cucumbers and other odds and ends, aggregating over 250,000 cases, were packed, while as for onions, something like 500 tons were raised. There were also paying crops of asparagus, lettuce, beets, cauliflower, celery, corn, cabbage, squash, potatoes, etc., raised in the sediment soil along the creeks and in other favorable localities.

As for poultry. of all the prizes awarded of late years, ninety-five per cent went to Santa Clara birds. Including chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks, there were 17,220 head.

Dairying is also carried on extensively. The butter output averages 500,000 pounds, and over that amount in cheese. The southeastern end of the county, around Gilroy and Morgan Hill, is well suited to this kind of industry. Alfalfa can be readily grown on the level land of the valley, where the water supply is good. and as hogs and alfalfa go together, the same conditions will apply to both.

143

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

The orchards of the county are irrigated, sometimes from stream ditches, but mostly from artesian wells. These wells were first used in the valley in 1854, shallow wells and water from the creeks sufficing for the re- quirements of the earlier days. In January, 1854, when the Merritt brothers built their brick house on Fifth Street-it is still stand- ing-they commenced boring for a lower stratum of water, seeking a stream that did not act as a sewer for all the accumulated filth on the ground. They struck water at a depth of fifty feet, but determined to go deeper. At eighty feet they tapped a stream that came rushing to the surface like the erup- tion of a volcano. The hole was six inches in diameter and the pressure was sufficient, as Mr. Hall says in his "History of San Jose," to run a sawmill. The success met with in this well induced the boring of others. In the same month J. S. Shepard had a well sunk on his place, three miles from town. This well went through muck and clay to a depth of seventy-five feet and a stratum of sand. Five feet in this sand water was struck and, although the pipe rose sixteen feet above the surface of the ground, the water came out of the top as though forced by powerful machin- ery. During the next month T. Meyers bored a well and obtained a plentiful supply of water. But the greatest well in the history of the county was bored in August of the same year by G. A. Dabney, near San Fer- nando Street. Mr. Hall thus describes it: "After boring six feet the auger entered a bed of clay, through which, a distance of fifty-four feet, it penetrated, when the water rushed up with a force unknown here in well-boring. It flooded the surrounding lands so that it be- came a serious question how the water should be disposed of. The City Council declared it a nuisance and passed an ordinance directing Dabney to stop or control the flow of water, and if not, he should pay a fine of $50 for every day he allowed it thus to run. The ordinance had no effect on the dynamical properties of the water, nor any on Dabney; for about six weeks it flowed on, rising nine feet above the surface of the ground, when other ,wells bored in that vicinity lessened its force and volume. It was a curiosity and received visitors daily."

After this demonstration of the fact that artesian water could be had, there was no more complaint of the lack of this necessary fluid. The old acequia fell into disuse and finally disappeared. Wells were sunk in vari- ous localities and always with good results, but as the wells accumulated the force of the flow was somewhat diminished. The first irrigating was done on the lower land north

of town. At one time the California Invest- ment Company, which had acquired several thousand acres of salt marsh land along the shore of the bay, attempted to reclaim it by means of artesian wells. The project was to build levees around their property to shut out the sea, pump out the salt water and re- place it with fresh artesian water. They went so far as to bore many wells, but abandoned the project, either because it was impractica- ble or on account of the expense. . The wells. however, were a great source of annoyance to the people living in the north. Being allowed to flow continually, the water in other wells was lowered and many ceased to flow at all. The matter became so disastrous that an act was passed by the Legislature declaring it a misdemeanor to permit artesian wells to re- main uncapped when not in use. After much labor this law was enforced and the injured wells recovered their vigor.

Many attempts have been made to trace and locate the artesian belt, but it is continually being struck outside these locations, and no one cares to risk his reputation by saying where it is not. It was at first thought to lie exclusively between San Jose and the bay, following the lower levels of the valley. In 1870 artesian water was supposed to have been found in the San Felipe tract southeast of Gilroy. But one night a well, windmill and tank, house and frame, on the property of Mr. Buck disappeared from sight and the longest sounding line was unable to discover the whereabouts of the missing improvements. This indicated that the supply was a lake and not an ordinary stream. In 1887 flowing arte- sian water was found at Gilroy and the neigh- borhood was afterward successfully developed. With all these facts understood, there can be no doubt that artesian water can be found at any point in the valley, not excepting the higher grounds near the foothills.

The Farm Owners and Operators' Associa- tion was organized in 1919 for the purpose of becoming a part of a state organization. A constitution has already been prepared and when in operation the various branches in the state will become as units. The object of the association is to protect the farmers and orch- ardists and at the same time promote their in- terests. The officers are: J. J. McDonald, chairman ; T. D. Landels, vice-chairman ; Mary P. Richter, secretary; B. T. McCurdy, treas- urer. Board of trustees-Róbert Britton, Mor- gan Hill; Frank Stevens, Coyote; Luther Cun- ningham, Saratoga; J. H. Harkness, Morgan Hill; J. H. Fair, San Jose: John Hassler, San Jose: A. R. McClay, San Jose; H. F. Curry, San Jose; Albert M. Foster, San Jose ; John W. Shaw, San Jose; Arthur P. Free-

144

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

man, Lawrence; A. W. Greathead, San Jose; T. J. Herndon, Campbell ; S. T. Johnson, Cup- ertino; E. K. Clendenning, Campbell; J. K. Durst, Sunnyvale; E. L. Fellow, Santa Clara ; R. T. Van Orden, Mountain View; Lewis H. Britton, Morgan Hill; V. T. McCurdy, Santa Clara; F. C. Willson, Sunnyvale. Although organized but three years, the association has done considerable work. It has been instru- mental in equalizing fruit tree assessments. It has also materially assisted in the move- ment for conserving the water of the valley. In 1920 it took up the county season labor problem and is now receiving the hearty sup- port of the canneries and packing houses.

The Fruit Growers of California Associa- tion, Inc., was organized in 1919 and is a sort of detached auxiliary of the California Prune and Apricot Growers, Inc. It handles green fruit only and sells to canners and ships to Eastern buyers. It does for the green fruit what the dried fruit operators do for dried fruit. R. P. Van Orden of Mountain View is president, and J. U. Porter is acting secretary. The directors and I. O. Rhodes, C. C. Spauld- ing, A. C. Gordon, James Mills, H. N. Schroe- der, Herman A. Clark, W. E. Moore, L. E. Walker and E. R. Clendenning. Every fruit section of the county is represented in the di- rectorate. Mr. Bone, who was the first sec- retary, was one of the leaders in the organiza- tion of the California Prune and Apricot Growers, Inc., and for two years was its sec- retary.

The California Prune and Apricot Growers, Inc., have organized growers', packing and warehouse associations with plants in Santa Clara County as follows: Plant No. 1, Camp- bell ; No. 2, Morgan Hill; No. 3, Gilroy ; No. 4, San Jose, Fourth and Lewis streets; No. 6, San Jose; No. 7, Vasona, Los Gatos; No. 8, Mountain View ; No. 10, San Jose ; No. 11, San Jose, Cinnebar and Senter streets ; No. 13, Los Gatos; No. 14, Lincoln Avenue, San Jose. They also have plants in various sections of the state, and the list extended to forty in 1921.

The following packers of the county are af- filiated with the association: Plant No. 14. J. W. Chilton & Co., San Jose; No. 15, J. B. Inderrieden Co., San Jose; No. 16, Pacific Fruit Products Co., San Jose : No. 17, Warren Dried Fruit Co., San Jose; No. 22, Geo. E. Hyde & Co., Campbell; No. 37, Warren E. Hyde, S. E. Johnson, Cupertino; No. 38, West Side Fruit Growers' Association, Cupertino. In addition to the above, there will be estab- lished at numerous points in the state receiv- ing stations. Growers' Packing and Ware- housing Association, Inc., has already nego- tiated the purchase of several properties nec- essary for these plants.

Contracts for handling fruit have been made with the green fruit buyers of the county. The independent packers of the county are as fol- lows: San Jose-C. H. Anderson, J. K. Arms- by, Castle Bros., California Fruit Canners' As- sociation, California Packing Corporation plants Nos. 50, 51 and 52; Earl Fruit Com- pany, Golden Gate Packing Company, J. C. Moore, Guggenheim Packing Company, Rich- mond-Chase Company, Polak Packing Com- pany, Wayne Packing Company. Campbell -- Ainsley Packing Company. Saratoga-Soro- sis Fruit Company. Santa Clara-Block & Company. Sunnyvale-J. K. Armsby.

Following are the fruit and vegetable can- neries of Santa Clara County : Alviso-Bay- side Canning Company. Campbell-Ainsley Canning Company, California Canneries, Geo. E. Hyde & Company, Gilroy-H. A. Baker Cannery, Felice & Perelli Canning Company. Los Gatos-Hunt Brothers. Mayfield-Foon Canning Company. Milpitas-California Pack- ing Corporation. Mountain View-Concen- trated Tomatoes Company, John W. McCar- thy, Jr., & Co. Santa Clara-Pratt-Low Pre- serving Company. Sunnyvale-California Sup- plies Company, Libby, McNeil & Libby, Sun- nyvale Canneries. San Jose-Alba Canning Company, Beechnut Company of California, Bisceglia Brothers & Company, California Growers' Assocation, California Prune and Apricot Growers, Inc .; California Packing Cor- poration (two plants). Contadina Canning Company, Di Fiore Canning Company, Flick- inger & Company, Greco Canning Company, Golden Gate Packing Company, Herbert Pack- ing Company, Italian Canning Company, J. F. Pyle & Son, Richmond-Chase Company, Sal- sina Canning Company, San Jose Canning Company, Shaw Family, Inc .; Sunlight Pack- ing Company, Wool Canning Company, De- hydrating Plant, Spolster & Company ; Banks' Evaporator.

Following are Santa Clara County statistics up to December, 1921 :

Area, acres. 867,200

County area, square miles. 1,355

Number of farms and orchards 23,900

Number of acres assessed. 743,822

Tax Rates

County tax rate (outside incor-

porated cities) $ 2,15

San Jose tax rate-City, $1.52:

county (inside cities), $1.72;

schools, $1.15; total. 4.48

County Assessment

County real estate. $ 31,932,740

Improvements on same. 13,169,670

Imp'ts on property not assessed

to owners. 26,795

145

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

City and town lots. 18,436,405

Improvements on same.

15,569,400

Improvements on property not as-

sessed to owners 20,800

Total value. $ 79,155,810

Personal Property

Inside

$ 4,687,550

Outside 4,412,495

Collected by Assessor, inside.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 24

Author: Sawyer, Eugene T Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1934

Author: Sawyer, Eugene T
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1934