Santa Clara County, CA History Transcribed by Kathy Sedler This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter. All persons donating to this site retain the rights to their own work. Pen Pictures From The Garden of the World or Santa Clara County, California, Illustrated. - Edited by H. S. Foote.- Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1888. [Biographies contained in this portion of the book will also be found at: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htmBiographies/sclara/index.htm] THE question of a public revenue became prominent immediately upon the organization of the county. There were no improvements or property to start with. Everything had to commence from the beginning. In this respect the county was in a worse condition than the city, which fell heir to all the property of the old pueblo, and which enabled it to not only pay all debts but left a very handsome surplus. The county had to create everything, with no material at hand for the purpose. Its necessary officers were numerous and salaries were high. There were no public buildings and no highways, no schools, and, comparatively, a small property valuation on which to levy a tax. But with all these needs the new government did not propose to overburden the people with taxation. The first levy was twenty-five cents on the hundred dollars, with a poll-tax of two dollars and a half. The next year the levy was fifty cents on the hundred dollars, with twenty-five cents added for building purposes. The year following, the levy was reduced to thirty cents, with five cents for buildings, and in 1853 it was again raised to fifty cents for general purposes, with twenty-five cents for buildings and five cents for schools. These levies were exclusive of the tax for State purposes. The revenue was far short of the requirements of the county. Warrants were issued that went to protest, and in 1856 a debt of over $60,000 had accumulated. Then the aid of the Legislature was invoked, and an act was passed by that body and approved April 9 of that year, authorizing the county government to issue bonds to the amount of $67,500, payable in ten years and bearing twelve per cent interest. These bonds were issued and given to creditors in lieu of their claims, and thus the entire debt of the county was funded up to March 1, 1856. These bonds were redeemed, as required by the act, in 1866. In 1861 the county was struggling with the railroad problem, and the people were willing to assume almost any burden that might insure the building of a road to San Jose. Several efforts had been made to secure private subscriptions for the purpose of constructing a railroad to Alviso to connect with a line of boats, but all had been unsuccessful. At this time came the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad Company with the proposition that, if the county would subscribe for $200,000 of the stock of the company and issue bonds in payment of the same, the road would be built. The proposition was popular, and on April 9, 1861, a law was enacted by the Legislature authorizing the county to make the subscription and to issue bonds payable in fifteen years, and bearing seven per cent interest. These bonds were redeemed as follows: The railroad stock was sold (as related in our chapter on railroads), to Messrs. Donahue, Newhall, and Mayne, and the proceeds, $100,000, applied to redemption of the bonds. Five thousand dollars' worth were redeemed as provided by the act creating the indebtedness. The remainder matured and were redeemed in 1876 by new bonds issued in that year. One bond of a thousand dollars was not presented for payment until 1880, having evidently been mislaid by the owner. In 1865 the Western Pacific Railroad Company asked the county to subscribe for $150,000 of its capital stock, under the provisions of an act of 1863. The people accepted the proposition, and bonds were issued payable in twenty years, with interest at seven per cent. Of these bonds $5,000 were paid, and the remainder, $145,000, refunded by the issue of what was called the "Redemption Bonds of 1885." These were issued in three series, to wit: April 13, 1885�$45,000-4 1/2 per cent. Aug. 19, 1885---$55,000-4 per cent. Oct. 23, 1885---$45,000-4 per cent. In March, 1866, the Legislature authorized the county to issue bonds to the amount of $130,000 for the purpose of erecting county buildings. These bonds were payable in fifteen years, with interest at twelve per cent, and were known as the "Court House Bonds;" $112,000 of these bonds were redeemed in 1872 with money received from sale of the W. P. R. R. stock, as noted in chapter on railroads. Four years later the Legislature authorized another issue of bonds by the county to the amount of $80,000, to pay for the construction of the jail. These bonds were payable in ten years and carried ten and one-half per cent interest. The " Court House Bonds" and the "Jail Bonds" were refunded in 1873 by the issuance of bonds to the amount of $130,000, payable in twelve years and bearing eight per cent interest. These new bonds were called the " Court House and Jail Bonds." At the time they became due there remained unpaid the sum of $56,000, which was refunded in January, 1885. In May,1876, bonds known as "Redemption Bonds of 1876" were issued. The amount was $96,000, with seven per cent interest, and due 1890. The proceeds of the sale of these bonds were used to redeem the S. F. & S. J. R. R. bonds of 1861. Of these bonds there is $48,000 now outstanding. In April, 1878, bonds to the amount of $31,065.60 were issued for the purpose of funding the debt due the estate of James Lick, for moneys advanced for the construction of the Mount Hamilton road. These bonds were known as the "Lick Avenue Bonds," and bore no interest. They were all redeemed in 1888. The new constitution, which went into effect in 1880, and the laws enacted under it, permitted all counties to fund any floating debt that might be outstanding prior to the first of January, 1880. The same laws also provided that, after January 1, 1880, the county should incur no indebtedness in any fiscal year in excess of the revenue of that year. When this law went into effect there was a floating debt of about $95,000, principally against the several road funds, which the supervisors did not fund. There was some misapprehension as to the full effect of the law, and while the expenses of the county were kept within the limit of the tax levy each year, the revenue was used to pay outstanding warrants in the order of their issuance. Thus, in 1883, the warrants issued prior to January, 1880, had been paid, while an equal amount of those issued in 1881 and 1882 were still outstanding. As the law was interpreted to mean that the revenue of 1883 could not be applied to payment of warrants of previous years, the Board was in a quandary. There was a debt of $95,000, with no means of payment under the law. Many meetings were held, and many suggestions made. It was finally resolved to treat the payment of the warrants issued prior to 1880 as an error of bookkeeping, and to consider the current debt as being the debt existing at that time. This solved the difficulty, and bonds to that amount were issued, payable in twenty years, with interest at five per cent. Bonds to the amount of $56,000, payable in twenty years, and bearing six per cent interest, were issued in January, 1885, for the purpose of redeeming the Court House and Jail Bonds of 1872. The bonded indebtedness of the county, therefore, at this time, is as follows, after deducting the amount of bonds redeemed: Bonds of 1876....$ 18,000 Due, 1890 7 per cent. " 1883.... 77,000 " 1901 5 " " 1885.... 50,000 " 1905 6 " " 1885.... 15,000 " 1905 4 1/2 " " 1885.... 100,000 " 1905 4 " $320,000 This is practically the total debt of the county at this time, the law prohibiting the creation of any debt that cannot be paid by the revenue of the current year. The following tables will show the increase in the value of property in the county from its organization Unfortunately the records for the first four years have been mislaid, but enough remains to show the wonderful increase in wealth, especially during the past six years :‑ YEARASSESSORASSESSMENT RATE 1850Books missing 1851Books missing 1852T. S. Burnett - Books missing 1853J. H. Morgan - Books missing 1854W. Gallimore$5,355,074$1.40 1855John Bland5,122,4401.46 1856John Bland5,449,9571.70 1857W. H. Patton4,504,3281.65 1858W. H. Patton5,131,5821.90 1859W. R. Davis - Books missing 1860W. R. Davis5,677,7951.60 1861D. M. Harwood5,012,6701.60 1862D. M. Harwood6,038,3762.00 1863D. M. Harwood6,129,0122.17 1864D. M. Harwood6,883,6822.48 1865W. O. Barker6,955,1032.40 1866W. O. Barker8,165,9872.33 1867Henry Phelps9,306,7522.60 1868Henry Phelps10,674,9262.54 1869Henry Phelps11,459,1782.47 1870Henry Phelps11,781,2112.08 1871T. M. Lilly12,088,9012.06 1872T. M. Lilly31,322,4261.20 1873T. M. Lilly27,528,0131.20 1874T. M. Lilly31,707,9261.40 1875Henry Phelps29,362,6461.30 1876Henry Phelps28,175,2691.65 1877Henry Phelps27,990,4501.60 1878Henry Phelps27,603,2401.60 1879Hiram Fairfield24,604,1211.50 1880Hiram Fairfield25,514,8421.50 1881Hiram Fairfield26,018,1271.50 1882Hiram Fairfield26,018,1761.50 1883L. A. Spitzer (city property)11,983,9871.13 1883L. A. Spitzer (county property)20,354,5891.45 1884L. A. Spitzer (city property)12,506,646.92 1884L. A. Spitzer (county property)24,124,4351.20 1885L. A. Spitzer (city property)13,951,654.95 1885L. A. Spitzer (county property)26,344,5371.20 1886L. A. Spitzer (city property)13,420,716.90 1886L. A. Spitzer (county property)26,286,0711.20 1887L. A. Spitzer (city property)15,510,691.90 1887L. A. Spitzer (county property)28,002,8301.20 1888L. A. Spitzer (city property)20,971,544 1888L. A. Spitzer (county property)36,313,408 This shows an increase, since 1882, of $31,266,676, or more than a hundred per cent. The property of the county, consisting of public buildings, grounds, etc., is estimated at this time to be worth about half a million of dollars. Thus it will be seen that the county has a very handsome surplus over and above its $320,000 of indebtedness. An item showing the rapid growth of the country is this: In 1887 the number of acres of land assessed was five hundred and eighty-nine thousand nine hundred and sixty-five; in 1888 the number was five hundred and eighty-eight thousand one hundred and thirty one. The difference, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four acres, was subdivided into lots and blocks, and rated as city property. The number of fruit trees in the county, as near as can be estimated, is two million three hundred and fifty thousand six hundred and thirty-four. The value of the fruit crop was, in round numbers, two million and a half dollars. Acres of grapes 10,618 " strawberries 509 " blackberries 127 " raspberries 39 " wheat 23,721 " oats 131 " barley 21,997 " corn 215 " hay 19,265 Gallons of brandy manufactured 10,125 " wine 703,475 " beer 1,270,140 PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS. Up to the present time the development of the petroleum resources of Santa Clara County, and, in fact, of California, has been entirely the work of one man �Mr. Robert C. McPherson. He was born in Buffalo, New York, May 6, 1840, and was reared and educated there. His father, John McPherson, was a Scotchman and had settled in Buffalo when it was a small village. His business was that of a beef and pork packer. In 1859, when the first oil excitement occurred in Pennsylvania, Robert, with his brother Angus, went there and operated until 1873, when he came to California. At that time there had been some desultory prospecting in the southern counties, particularly in what is known as the Pico District. Oil had been found by shallow wells but no intelligent and thorough effort had been made toward a complete development. The work had been done principally by the San Francisco Petroleum Company, the directors of which did not seem inclined to make expensive experiments. When Mr. McPherson came upon the ground, his experienced eye at once saw that the prospecting had been of a very superficial character. Against the protests of the company and against the remonstrances of his friends, he commenced sinking a well with the determination to reach the reservoir, which he calculated was at a depth of about thirteen hundred feet. After much expense and many discouragements he struck the oil-bearing sand at a depth of twelve hundred and ninety-five feet. The oil flowed over the top of the derrick, eighty feet high. This was the first deep well ever drilled in California, and from it sprung the oil interests of Southern California. There was no lack of capital for the work after Mr. McPherson had shown the company how to employ it to advantage. He operated there until 1874, when he sold the controlling interest to Charles N. Felton, and came to Santa Clara County, where he had leased land in Moody's Gulch and vicinity. Here he commenced drilling in 1878, and up to the present time, has made ten wells. As a matter of history the operations at these wells are important, not only as to what has already been accomplished, but as a starting-point for future work. Moody's Gulch, which is a branch of the Los Gatos Canon, at wells Nos. 1 and 2 (which are about one hundred feet apart), runs about north twenty degrees east. Altitude at this point, eleven hundred feet. At the bridge a little above, fine-grained sandstones and shales strike about north sixty degrees west, and dip sixty-five southwest. Within two hundred feet east of this bridge and seventy-five feet or more above the bed, and still higher up the hill, is well No. 5. East of this and yet higher is well No. 8. On the opposite side of the gulch and about two hundred feet from it is Logan No. 1. Altitude, about thirteen hundred and eighty feet above sea-level. About three hundred feet south, twenty degrees west, from Logan No. 1, is Plyler No. 1. All the oil obtained from these wells is a green oil, known as paraffine oil, and has a specific gravity of forty-four degrees. It is piped a distance of about a mile to the mouth of the gulch, where it is received in a tank that stands on a side track of the South Pacific Coast Railway. The first well, named Moody No. 1, struck oil at about eight hundred feet. Unfortunately the detailed record of operations has been lost, but that of subsequent wells is complete. MOODY No. 2 was drilled in October, 1879. It started in slate with streaks of rotten sandstone. At three hundred feet better sand was found, twenty-five feet thick. Then came slate and shale to the second sand, twenty feet thick, at a depth of six hundred and thirty feet. After this, sand very shelly with streaks of shale and slate. The third sand was struck at seven hundred and sixty feet. Here the well began to fill with oil. It was drilled to eight hundred feet, where it pumped thirty barrels a day. MOODY No. 3 was a loss. It was sunk to a depth of ten hundred and eighty feet, and showed signs of oil and gas, but caved in and was lost. MOODY No. 4 was drilled in August and September, 188o, and was started in shale and soft sand. At two hundred and sixty feet struck first regular sand, thirty feet thick. Afterwards streaks of slate and shale until reaching second sand, forty feet thick, at a depth of six hundred and eighty-five feet. Then streaks of slate, shale, and shells. Struck gray sand, twenty feet thick, dark gray in color, at a depth of nine hundred and eighty feet, carrying considerable oil, estimated at ten barrels per day. After this, hard shelly formation all the way until reaching third sand, at ten hundred and forty feet. This sand is first-class oil-bearing sand, carrying pebbles. On sinking five feet into this sand, the well began to fill up rapidly, and in twenty-four hours there were three hundred feet of oil in the hole. At ten hundred and fifty-five feet struck more oil, which seemed to be increasing very rapidly. At ten hundred and seventy-five feet, the well made its first flow. At ten hundred and eighty-five feet it flowed one hundred barrels per day, flowing nearly all the time. From here to ten hundred and ninety-five feet the sand grew finer and harder. Drilled to eleven hundred and three feet, still in the same sand. Here the well was stopped. MOODY No. 5 was started in slate. Struck first sand-rock, twenty feet thick, at depth of four hundred and sixty-five feet. After this ran in slate and shale until, at a depth of six hundred and thirty feet, struck second sand, ten feet thick. Then ran in shale to nine hundred and thirty feet, where the third sand was struck, fifteen feet thick. The well here made two flows. This well was pumped for a while, but being a small well and yielding only about ten barrels per day it was determined to go deeper. They went through slate all the way to one thousand four hundred and twenty feet, but there was no change in the yield. It was then shut down and pumped at seven hundred and thirty feet, yielding ten barrels per day. MOODY NO. 6 showed a little oil at eleven hundred and twenty feet. Went fourteen hundred feet, but the well was never pumped. MOODY No. 7 was drilled in 1880. Started in slate. First regular sand, twenty feet thick, at two hundred and seventy-five feet. Then ran in slate and shale until striking second sand, fifty feet thick at six hundred and twenty-five. Afterwards in slate, shale, and shells. At nine hundred and fifty feet struck a stray sand, fifteen feet thick, with a little oil. After this, very shelly with shale and streaks of slate. At ten hundred and fifty feet of hard shells run into twelve feet of slate. Afterwards shell and sand. More sand, with oil and gas. At ten hundred and ninety feet, better sand with more oil. At eleven hundred feet, well began to fill up with oil. At eleven hundred and twenty-five feet, pumped thirty barrels per day. Afterwards drilled to twelve hundred feet and increased the yield to forty barrels. LOGAN No. 1 is a twelve-inch hole, drilled in 1880. Started in slate and sand. Struck first sand twenty feet thick, at two hundred and eighty feet. Then slate and shale to second sand, thirty feet thick, at six hundred and fifty feet. Then slate and shells mixed. At eight hundred and eighty-five feet, stray sand with some oil and gas. Afterwards more shells with streaks of sand. At nine hundred and fifty feet, more sand and better. At nine hundred and eighty feet, well filling with oil (two hundred feet of oil in the hole). At ten hundred feet, filled with oil. Put in tubing and pumped fifteen barrels per day. Drilled to eleven hundred feet, sand all the way, and increased the yield slightly. MOODY NO. 8 commenced drilling March 6, 1887. Started in rotten sand and shale. Had slate and sand to five hundred and ninety-five feet when struck first regular sand, twenty-three feet thick. At six hundred and eighteen feet got first show of gas. Slate from bottom of sand to six hundred and forty-five feet, then shale. At seven hundred and fifteen feet, shelly. At seven hundred and forty feet, second sand, gray, twenty feet thick. At eight hundred and thirty feet, shelly, with show of gas. At ten hundred and twenty feet, slate and shells mixed; a little show of oil with an increase of gas. To ten hundred and eighty-five feet, slate with a little shale. At eleven hundred and thirty feet, slight show of sand. At eleven hundred and eighty, slate. At thirteen hundred and eight feet, shale. At fourteen hundred and seventy-three, slate. At fifteen hundred and fifteen feet, very hard slate. At fifteen hundred and thirty-five feet, slate and shells mixed. At fifteen hundred and sixty-five feet, not so shelly and more slate. At sixteen hundred and five feet, shale and sand mixed. At sixteen hundred and fifteen feet, some shells with an increase of gas, with some sand. At this point it was concluded to dis�continue work temporarily. PLYLER No. 1, seventy-three feet of rotten rock and then through sandstone to one hundred and eighty feet; then two feet of slate; then soft sandstone to two hundred and twenty feet; then two feet of slate; then sandstone to three hundred and eighty feet, the last ten feet being very hard. Sand, continues with a streak of coffee-rock to four hundred and eighty feet; then hard sand to five hundred feet; then gray sand to five hundred and twenty feet. Slate and sand mixed to five hundred and fifty feet; then sand and slate to seven hundred feet; then shale and sand with a little show of gas; at seven hundred and fifty feet, a small pocket of water; at seven hundred and fifty-four feet, shale; at nine hundred feet, hard, gray shells with shale mixed; at nine hundred and fifty feet, sand full of yellow pebbles; at ten hundred feet, slate; at ten hundred and thirty feet, increase of gas; at ten hundred and forty feet, shale and light-colored sand; at ten hundred and sixty feet, shells; at eleven hundred and ten feet, gray sand twenty-six feet thick; at eleven hundred and thirty-six feet, black slate, very soft; at twelve hundred and four feet, dark shale with some sand; at twelve hundred and sixty feet, slate; twelve hundred and ninety feet, slate a little lighter in color; thirteen hundred and thirty-five feet, shale; fourteen hundred and fifty feet, slate; fourteen hundred and sixty-five feet, black slate; fourteen hundred and seventy-five feet, black slate and sand; fourteen hundred and eighty-four feet, some gas, slate soft and cavey. The well is not yet finished. The output from these wells up to 1886 was eighty thousand barrels. At the present time the yield is three hundred barrels per month, all of which is taken by the San Jose Gas Works at $3.00 per barrel. The wells have been pumped regularly three times a day since they were drilled. The machinery is run by two twenty-horse-power engines, the only fuel used being natural gas. Mr. McPherson says that there is every indication that natural gas in large quantities can be found in many if not all parts of the Santa Clara Valley; the character of the formation in the surrounding hills and the dip of the strata leave no doubt in his mind that a thorough prospect will be richly rewarded. At this time an effort is being made to in�corporate a company with a capital stock sufficient to make exhaustive experiments. IN April, 1854, a number of the farmers and stock-raisers of the county determined to organize an agricultural society. A call for a meeting was made, and on May 6 of that year they came together at the City Hall. The call had been responded to with considerable enthusiasm, and the agricultural interests were well represented. H. C. Melone was chosen to preside, and H. Hamilton was appointed secretary. The object of the meeting was stated by Wm. M. Stafford, who was followed by others, all favorable to the proposition of establishing a county agricultural society. The prevailing sentiment having been thus ascertained, a committee, consisting of J. F. Kennedy, Joseph Aram, and O. P. Watson, was appointed to prepare a draft of a constitution, after which the meeting adjourned until the twentieth of the same month. The meeting assembled at the court-house at the date mentioned. The constitution presented by the committee was adopted. The following officers were elected: L. H. Bascom, President; J. F. Kennedy, Vice-President; E. P. Reed, Recording Secretary; W. S. Letcher, Corresponding Secretary; F. G. Appleton, Treasurer. Board of Managers�J. B. Allen, of Gilroy; Mr. Frost, of Fremont; James Houston, of Alviso; Joseph Aram, Wm. R. Bassham, Dr. Langhorne, and Samuel Robinson, of San Jose. Committee on Agriculture�H. C. Melone, Oliver Cottle, Isaac Bird, J. R. Weller, G. W. Peck, O. P. Watson, and H. C. Skinner. Committee on Horticulture�Joseph Aram, J. F. Kennedy, William Daniels, Louis Prevost, and John Morse. There is no record of any fair having been held under the auspices of this society; but, owing to its influence, the State Agricultural Fair was held in San Jose in 1856. This fair was largely attended, Santa Clara County carrying off the honors. The first thoroughbred cattle brought to the State were exhibited at this time by Robert Blaco. Prior to establishing the agricultural society, a horticultural society had been formed, and, after the State Fair, an effort was made to unite the two interests. On the thirteenth of December, 1856, a meeting was called for this purpose. William Daniels, H. C. Melone, and J. C. Cobb were appointed a committee to prepare a constitution. January 1, 1857, the constitution was presented and adopted, and the society formed under the name of the " Santa Cara Valley Agricultural and Horticultural Society." On February 7 the following officers were elected: President, William Daniels; Vice-Presidents, Coleman Younger and Joseph Aram; Secretary, J. C. Cobb; Treasurer, R. G. Moody; Directors, L. A. Gould and Louis Prevost. The old agricultural society met on the same day and disorganized by the following resolution: "That the treasurer be, and hereby, instructed to pay to each member of the society the amount subscribed by said member, provided he applies for the same before the first day of March next, and whatever remains in the treasury after said first day of March, to be paid to the treasurer of the Agri�cultural and Horticultural Society of the Valley of Santa Clara, subject to the disposition of the society last mentioned." After adopting this resolution the agricultural society adjourned sine die. At a meeting held July 2, 1857, it was resolved to hold a fair on the eighteenth and nineteenth of September. A premium list was arranged and the fair held with great success. A fair was also held in 1858, but the difficulties attending these exhibitions made it evident that they could not be continued under the then system of organization. The society had no funds, but was obliged to rely on voluntary contributions for its premium lists. After much discussion of ways and means, it was determined to incorporate the society. Pursuant to this determination, the passage of an act was procured in March, 1859, incorporating the organization under the name of the " Santa Clara Valley Agricultural Society," and from this date runs the legitimate history of the society. The first officers under the charter were: William Daniels, President; Cary Peebels and Coleman Younger, Vice-Presidents; C. B. Younger, Secretary; R. G. Moody, Treasurer; Louis Prevost and H. H. Winchell, Directors. One of the greatest inconveniences experienced by the society, both before and after its incorporation, was the lack of permanent grounds on which to hold the annual exhibitions. A committee had been appointed, in 1857, to examine into the propriety and possibility of purchasing the necessary grounds. This committee accomplished nothing; neither did any result flow from the appointment of a similar committee in the following year. But in 1859, at the meeting at which the officers were elected under the act of incorporation, a committee was also appointed to solicit subscriptions with which to purchase fair grounds for the society. This committee consisted of Cary Peebels, Col. Younger, H. H. Winchell, H. C. Melone, T. Bodley, Shartzer, and J. C. Cameron. Other members were added to this committee from time to time. The struggles of the society up to this time are thus related by Coleman Younger, one of the pioneers of the society, and who always shouldered a large portion of the work, which resulted in its success:� "In the first place they had had no funds, no hall, no fair grounds; the Board would appoint their committees to beg, and to sell annual memberships to form a basis for premiums; then they would have to cater for what we now call a hall, and for a piece of ground from some citizen for a stock fair ground; and, between the two, with other necessary expenses, they were in luck if they came out even. And thus it continued for years, until the old committees, or, in other words, the old war horses, were ashamed to beg. Our first stock fair would beggar description; but our fruits, grain, vegetables, and flowers, on account of the newness of the country, excited more interest then than now." The committee appointed to solicit subscriptions for the purchase of grounds, met with good success. In two weeks they had raised the sum of $14,464.55. There were one hundred and ninety-nine original contributors, as follows : The county of Santa Clara gave $500 ; William Daniels gave $300. Those who gave $200 were, Martin Murphy, Sr., James Lick, Samuel J. Hensley, Josiah Belden, Philip G. Vibbard, W. M. Williamson. Those who gave $150 were Adolph Pfister, E. Auzerais & Bro., Calvin Martin, Thos. Bodley, Naglee, Peach, and Billings. James Murphy gave $125, and J. F. Kennedy $120. Those who gave $100 were : Coleman Younger, H. C. Melone, Cary Peebels, Wm. B. Thomburge, Hiram Shortzer, Rowley & Adams, A. S. Beaty & Bro., William Reynolds, S. B. Emerson, William Mc-Clay, H. H. Winchell, C. W. Pomeroy & Co., W. W. McCoy, E. W. Grover, W. W. Hollister, W. M. Lent, John H. Cameron, John Young, R. K. Ham, Daniel Murphy, and S. P. Coburn. Peter Quivey gave $70. Those who gave $50 were : G. Mengarini, S. J., J. R. Lowe, Sr., Isaac N. Thompson, Aus. M. Thompson, Delavan Hoag, Henry Lawrence, Isaac Y. Brooks, Antonio Sunol, F. and J. Stock, R G. Moody, V. D. Moody, Morris Wise, S. O. Broughton, E. J. Wilcox, Adam Holloway, L. Froment & Co., W. H. Hall, L. H. Bascom, John G. Bray, Santa Clara Brewery, B. S. Fox & Co., S. C. Young, J. R. Weller, Louis Prevost, William Aram, A. Lervies, John H. Moore, J. C. Cobb, J. B. Van Nest, Louis Pellier. John Trimble gave $40. Those who gave $25 were : H. D. McCobb, Morgan & Johnson, Victor Speckens, S. S. Johnson, A. C. Erkson, John West, Horace Hawes, M. Jourdan, D. Gerdes, C. Colombet, Isaac Branham, John M. Murphy, G. W. Frazier, S. A. Clark, P. H. Burnett, C. T. Ryland, J. P. Springer, P. de Saisset, J. Cerensky, John Balbach, Williams & Winslow, A. Delmas, J. D. Gunn, Loewe & Bro., Levy & Bro., Leddy & Statsman, Haskell & Porter, Yocco & Bro., Pearl & Reen, Lilly & Bothwell, J. W. Sims, William Matthews, E. W. Case, J. R. Wilson, Lawrence Archer, F. G. Appleton, J. B. Bontemps, G. George & Co., William McClay, N. Hays, John W. Hardwick, G. Brabaska, William Travis, Patrick Fenton, D. Williams, H. H. Warburton, James Scott, Mark Hardy, T. S. Bradley, John W. Leigh, J. A. Quinby, Freeman Gates, John Johnson. Those who gave $20 were: Wm. T. Wallace, William S. Letcher, Jackson Lewis, P. 0. Minor, Henry Deatsman, James Houston, Madan & Fosgate, F. C. Franck, J. N. Appleton, Massey Thomas, C. D. Cheney. Those who gave $10 were: H. & E. A. Van Dalsem, Joseph Bassler, and George Bego. Edward McGowan gave $8.00. C. W. Lander, T. D. Johnson, J. H. Scull, Matthew Mitchell, B. Bampard, James O'Brien, S. B. Montgomery, R. F. Herrick and Mr. Rich gave $5.00 each; J. L. Miller and Wesley Tonnar gave $2.00 each, and Juan Santa Ana gave $1.00. In addition to the above money subscriptions the following donations of materials and labor were made: George H. Bodfish three thousand, six hundred and forty-one feet of lumber at the mill, $91 ; Green Hanna, hauling same, $37; J. P. Henning, two thousand and seven hundred feet of lumber at the mill, $54; W. K. Bethel, one thousand feet of lumber, $30 ; G. B. Blanchard, seven hundred feet of lumber, $21 ; Henry Jarboe, lumber, $25 ; F. A. Shepard, lumber, $15 ; F. S. McGirr, shingles, $23; Martin McCarthy, shingles, $10; Jeremiah Miller, flag-staff and sundries, $50 ; F. M. Fowler, one hundred and thirty posts, $20; Maffic, blacksmithing, $40; L. A. Gould, pumps, $75 ; J. Bassler, pump, $9; C. E. Campbell, lead pipe, $10; R. Fletcher, sashes, $1.50. The present fair grounds were purchased in 1859, of General Naglee, for $6,000, and the work of improvement commenced. The tract contains seventy-six acres and is on the south side of the Alameda about a mile from the city. The trees were planted from 1872 to 1876, and the grand stand erected in 1878. This stand was built with money loaned by different parties who are to be repaid from the moneys raised by sale of seats. When this is accomplished it will be the property of the society, and, we understand, will be made free. The society has held its fairs, annually paid expenses, and is out of debt, except for the money borrowed to erect the grand stand. All the best stock are shown at these exhibitions, and the best horses on the coast annually compete on the track. Up to 1880 the society drew an annual appropriation from the State of about $2,000 with which to pay premiums. In this year the Legislature passed an act dividing the State into agricultural districts, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties forming District No. 5. The act also prescribed the method by which District agricultural societies should be formed. When this law went into effect it stopped all State aid to the county society. This aid was absolutely necessary, as the proceeds of the fair would not be sufficient to pay good premiums and other necessary expenses. The society did not want to change its old organization to an organization under the State law, for fear it might in some way jeopardize the title to its real estate, which had then become very valuable. The only way out of the difficulty seemed to be to organize a new society under the State law and arrange with the old society for the use of the grounds. This was accordingly done, and the fairs have been held under the auspices of the San Mateo and Santa Clara County Agricultural Association, until the present year. The new society was formed from the members of the old one, and now have the same officers, with the exception that the Board of Directors is divided. Following are the names of the presidents and secretaries of the Santa Clara Valley Agricultural Society since its incorporation in 1859:� DATE. PRESIDENTS. SECRETARIES. 1859....William Daniels C. B. Younger 1860....William Daniels C B. Younger 1861 ....S. J. Hensley William Daniels 1862....William Daniels C B. Younger 1862....Cary Peebels J R. Lowe, Jr. 1863.... James F. Kennedy J R. Lowe, Jr. 1861.... James F. Kennedy. Givens George 1865....W. C. Wilson Givens George 1866....W. C. Wilson Givens George 1867....W. C. Wilson Givens George 1868....W. C. Wilson Tyler Beach 1869....W. C. Wilson Tyler Beach 1870....W. C. Wilson Tyler Beach 1871....W. C. Wilson Tyler Beach 1873....W. C. Wilson Givens George 1871.... W. C. Wilson. D J Porter 1874....W. C. Wilson D. J. Porter 1875 ....W. C. Wilson Givens George 1876....J. P. Sargent D. J. Porter 1877.... Cary Peebels E K. Campbell 1878 ....W. C. Wilson A. P. Murgotten 1879....N. B. Edwards A. P. Murgotten 1880....N. B. Edwards W. M. Williamson 1881....C. H. Maddox Givens George 1883.... J. H. M. Townsend T. S. Montgomery 1883... J. H. M. Townsend T. S. Montgomery 1884 ...J. H. M. Townsend T. S. Montgomery 1885....N. B. Edwards T S Montgomery 1886 . N. B. Edwards G. H. Bragg 1887....N. B. Edwards G. H. Bragg 1888....E. Topham G. H. Bragg The following are the names of the officers of the District Society since its organization:� DATE. PRESIDENTS. SECRETARIES. 1881 ....Abram King T S. Montgomery 1883. ...Abram King T S. Montgomery 1883....Abram King. T S. Montgomery 1884....W. T. Adel J. Hinman 1885....J. R. Weller A B. Ellis 1886....3. R. Weller Geo. B. Staniford 1887....J. R. Weller W. C. Morrow 1888. .. .E. Topham Geo. H. Bragg FRUIT AND VINE INDUSTRIES. THE adaptability of the climate and soil of Santa Clara County for horticultural purposes became apparent long before the first American visited the valley. The Fathers who planted the Missions planted orchards at the same time, and found a full return for all their labor. The fertility of the soil was supplemented by a peculiarity of climate that enabled trees to grow many more weeks in the year than in other countries, while during their season of rest there was no freezing weather to chill the sap and delay their progress in the spring. It might be said that trees had a continuous growth throughout the year. The result was that a very few seasons brought orchards to a condition of fruitfulness. All this was demonstrated by the experience of the good fathers at the Mission; but, even with this experience before them, our early horticulturists were astonished by the results of their efforts. They had been accustomed to sections where certain fruits would flourish and others fail, but here they found that nothing would fail. The peach, pear, apricot, apple, orange, and lemon, the olive and the tender varieties of grapes from Italy and Southern France, all flourished. It was neither too cold nor too warm for any, and the soil seemed to contain elements suited to the wants of each. What were the varieties of fruits planted by the Fathers at the Mission it is not now possible to ascertain in detail. Vancouver says that he saw, on his visit in 1792, peaches, apples, pears, apricots, figs, and vines, all of which, except the latter, promised to succeed well. He further says: " The failure of the vine here, as well as at San Francisco, is ascribed to a want of knowledge in their culture, the climate and soil being well adapted to some sorts of fruits." The failure of the vine, as related by Vancouver, might have been, as he said, the result of ignorance as to its culture; but if this was so, the Fathers soon learned the art of viticulture, for the old Mission vines are historic for their strong growth and abundant fruitage. As to their quality, so much cannot be said. They are now a relic of the past, and although many of the old inhabitants contend that for a table grape they possess a flavor superior to that of any of the foreign varieties, the fact remains that they have been practically discarded for wine-making, and that the reputation of California wines has been built on varieties other than the Mission. This grape, however it may be despised now, accomplished a great object. It demonstrated the adaptability of our soil and climate for the growth of the vine, and, by giving confidence to our early viticulturists, induced them to expand their operations. The character of the Mission fruits, with few exceptions, was about the same as the grapes. The olive bore a small fruit little prized for table use but rich in oil. It required a comparatively long time for it to come to profitable bearing, but never failed of a large crop when it reached that point. It is even now preferred, by many orchardists, to the finer varieties. The peaches and apricots were seedlings, and therefore of different kinds. At that time, when this was the only fruit to be had, it was all considered good. The only distinction made was that some varieties were better than others. Whether or not the apples and pears were seedlings we have not been able to ascertain. It is more than likely they were, as they have been generally classed under the comprehensive term, " Mission fruit," and are different from the varieties originated in America or imported from France or Spain. This Mission orchard was the only source of fruit supply to the valley for many years, and for some time after the American occupation it held a prominent position. It was claimed as part of the public domain when California was ceded to the United States, and was taken possession of by J. W. Redmon. It proved a bonanza, the fruit selling at fifty cents per pound, while the yield was enormous. Some of the old trees are yet vigorous, although neglected for years and a prey to all the pests that have been known to Santa Clara County orchards. The Mission orchard and the Mission vineyard furnished stock for the few orchards that were planted in the early years of the American occupation. These plantings were few at first, owing to the gold excitement, but when the people began to return from the mines and give their attention to agriculture, the plantings became more numerous. The scarcity of fruit and consequent high prices gave a great stimulus to horticulture. Apples, imported into San Francisco, sold at retail for a dollar apiece, and other fruits in proportion. People thought that at half these prices there would be more money in a bearing orchard than in the richest gold mine yet discovered. This idea struck many people at the same time and many orchards were planted, principally apples and pears. They seem to have overlooked the fact that there were comparatively few people in reach of their orchards at that time, and that there were no facilities for transportation to a distance; or, if they did realize this fact, they kept on planting all the same and trusted to luck. The first orchards planted after the American occupation, with the exception of a few private trees, were by E. W. Case, William Daniels, and Joseph Aram. Case's orchard was of about 350 trees, and was on the property fronting on the Alviso road, owned by C. B. Polhemus. Aram's orchard was of twenty acres, and was situated about where the woolen mills now are. Daniels' orchard was about one acre, and was in the then northern part of town, on a tract lying between Julian and St. James and Market and First Streets. Part of the trees planted by these gentlemen were furnished by a man named Ganz, and were brought by him from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were principally apples. This was in 1852. In the succeeding year Case and Aram imported more trees from the nursery of Charles Hovey, at Cambridge, Massachusetts. Some of these old trees are still flourishing and bearing large crops of fruit. Among them is an apricot tree on the Hobson place, formerly a part of Captain Aram's orchard, which is now thirty-four years old, a vigorous bearer, and living contradiction to the statement that fruit trees in California are short-lived. In the spring of 1852, Commodore Stockton, who then owned the Potrero de Santa Clara Rancho, which lies between San Jose and Santa Clara, imported from Hovey's Massachusetts nursery, a large number of trees for the purpose of establishing a nursery. With these trees he also sent out a professional botanist named Sheldon, with B. S. Fox and Thomas Egan as assistants. Sheldon died on the Isthmus and Mr. Fox took charge of the enterprise, Mr. Egan assisting. With this party came also J. F. Kennedy as salesman and commercial agent. The nursery was established in April, 1853, and for some time was the depot for nursery supplies for this section. These trees consisted of apples, peaches, pears, plums, nectarines, and apricots. With this importation came also the first strawberries grown in this valley. In 1854-55 a Frenchman named Levalle imported fruit trees and planted them in both nursery and orchard form, on the property lying north of Julian and west of Market Street, now owned by Peter O. Minor. He planted about two acres, but afterwards removed the orchard to the west side of the Coyote, on the property now owned by Edward McLaughlin. In 1855-56 he had a very large collection of trees in his nursery, which he afterwards sold to H. H. Winchell, China Smith, and William Smith, and they continued the nursery business for some years thereafter. L. A. Gould and B. F. Watkins planted their orchards and nurseries at Santa Clara about this time. Mr. Ballou, who was at that time employed in the Case orchard, says that from the three hundred trees planted then, mostly apples, a few specimens were had in 1855, and in 1856 about eight hundred pounds were produced. Up to this time the only apples to be had here were the "Parrons," grown at the Mission, and which were very inferior. The fruit from the new orchards above mentioned was very fine, far exceeding anything the orchardists had seen in the East. During 1856 the State Horticultural Society held a fair in San Jose, and from this the reputation of the Santa Clara fruit spread, and people came hundreds of miles to see it. Some of the old pioneers believe to this day that the display of apples had at that fair was far superior to any that has been made since. This of course is a mistake. They have become accustomed to the wonderful fruit of the Santa Clara Valley, and the novelty has worn off. In 1853 a horticultural society was formed. The meeting for organization was held on the grounds of Louis Prevost, now known as Live Oak Park, under a live-oak tree. There were present William Daniels, Louis Prevost, Louis Pellier, J. R. Bontemps, B. S. Fox, and E. W. Case. The Pioneer Horticultural Society was organized, and nearly all the old-time horticulturists became members. The names of Joseph Aram, J. Q. A. Ballou, R. G. Moody, D. Devine, L. A. Gould, and John Llewelling appear prominent on the list of early members. In speaking of this organization Colonel Younger says that, "during the balance of this year and the year 1854, they met once a month, brought in their fruits and flowers for exhibition, to compare and discuss their merits, and determine what fruits were best adapted to the valley. This was often most interesting and instructive. All were invited to attend, and many were enticed to these meetings to see the development of the fruit-growing capacity of the valley. Many ladies attended and were richly rewarded; for, after witnessing the display of fruit and flowers, at the conclusion, these were divided among them." This Pioneer Horticultural Society afterwards united with the Agricultural Society, and in a short time lost its identity. In 1856, as we have stated, nearly all these early orchards had commenced to bear, and the quality of the fruit, and the promise of extraordinary production, gave these pioneer orchardists an idea of the resources of the climate and soil in this direction. Everything they had planted had prospered beyond their most sanguine expectations, and they were rapidly approaching the conviction that nothing could fail in Santa Clara Valley. Being in this frame of mind, they were ready to experiment in any direction. This year stands out prominent as the date of the introduction of the French prune (Petit Prune d' Agen) to this county, and, in fact, to this coast. This fruit has become a standard, and will probably always remain a favorite with our orchardists. The history of its first importation will be interesting. Louis Pellier, a vine and fruit grower of France, had come to California in the winter of 1848-49. After trying his fortune in the mines, he came to San Jose in 1850, and purchased the tract of land fronting on the west side of San Pedro Street, where the mills of the Independent Mill and Lumber Company now stand. This tract was formerly known as Pellier's Gardens; it is now the Pellier subdivision of the city of San Jose. Here he planted a nursery and orchard, and cultivated flowers and plants. His brother Pierre had come out a year behind, and was assisting him in his work. When Pierre came, he brought with him cuttings of some of the fine varieties of grapes, among which were the Black Burgundy, Chasselas Fontainebleau, Madelaine, and others. From that time to 1854, the experience of fruit-growing here had shown the great horticultural possibilities of the country, and all were reaching out for new varieties. Louis Pellier determined to transplant the best fruits from his native land to his adopted county. In accordance with this determination he sent Pierre back to France in 1854, with instructions to go through Burgundy and other parts of the country, and secure cuttings and cions of the best varieties of fruit grown in each. This was done. Pierre, with another brother, John, who had not yet come to America, spent nearly two years traveling through France, gathering their stock. They returned to California, bringing with them a large variety of fruit cions. Among them were the petit prune, the gros prune, with many varieties of cherries, and pears, and plums. The petit prune was not at first very popular. The people preferred the gros prune on account of its size and appearance. As the fruit-growers at that time knew nothing of drying or canning, but depended on selling their products green, anything which had an appearance of inferiority was at a discount. The cions were brought from France by the Pellier brothers, stuck in potatoes and packed in saw�dust. Immediately on their arrival they were grafted upon stocks prepared for them, and many lived. While, as we have said, the gros prune soon came into great demand, the little prune had no friends for many years. It was finally brought to the attention of John Rock, who recognized its value and soon popularized it. There has been great dispute as to whether the French prune grown in California is the true French prune of commerce. There can be no doubt on this point as far as Santa Clara County is concerned. It was brought from its home in France directly to San Jose, by people who had been familiar with it from childhood, and there can be no mistake as to its identity. One of the parties who brought it is still living, and the box in which the cions were packed is still in existence, with all the marks yet legible. Mr. B. S. Fox, who, as we have stated, came out in 1852 with the nursery stock of Commodore Stockton, severed his connection with the commodore the next year, and established a nursery of his own on the Milpitas road. This is now known as the " Santa Clara Valley Nurseries and Botanical Gardens." He had with him Thomas Egan, and the nurseries were first known as B. S. Fox's Nurseries. At first there were one hundred and twenty-six acres, and it was the largest tract devoted to this business on the coast; the acreage was still further increased by the acquisition of more land, until it contained over two hundred acres. Mr. Fox was an Irishman by birth, and a thorough botanist. When he first came to America he procured an engagement with Charles Hovey, the well-known nurseryman of Cambridge, Massachusetts. When Commodore Stockton was looking for a competent man to take charge of his California nursery, Mr. Fox was recommended to him, and was engaged for the position. This was a fortunate circumstance for Santa Clara County. He was not only a pioneer fruit man, but a man of great scientific knowledge, and an untiring student. To his experiments we owe three of the finest varieties of pears now cultivated, the P. Barry, the B. S. Fox, and the Colonel Wilder, which have been placed in the front rank by the opinions of the leading pomologists of America. His magnificent orchard was developed from the nursery, and was not planted so much for growing fruit for profit as to test the varieties which he was offering for sale. To his enthusiasm Santa Clara County owes much of her early horticultural development. Mr. Fox died in July, 1881, at Council Bluffs, Iowa, while on his way to visit his early home. His nurseries were left to his nephew; R. D. Fox, a biographical sketch of whom appears in this book, and who has since conducted the business with an intelligence that has maintained the reputation it attained under the administration of his uncle. In 1856 Captain Aram moved his nurseries from town to the place on the Milpitas road where he now lives. He had G. W. Tarleton with him for a time, but in a few years the latter gentleman purchased the tract where he now lives, and planted it to orchard. In 1854 came James R. Lowe. This gentleman was an Englishman by birth, and a professional botanist. He had been engaged in some of the most prominent landscape gardening operations of the English nobility, and had come to America to superintend some work for New England nurserymen. He came to California at the request of Samuel J. Hensley. He laid out the famous Hensley grounds, which, up to the time they were subdivided into city lots, contained more rare plants than any similar area in California. Mr. Lowe was in constant communication with the superintendent of the gardens of the Duke of Devonshire, who was an old-time friend, and hardly a mail was received at the post-office in San Jose that did not contain some rare plant, bulb, or cutting, from the Duke's gardens. These were propagated with care, and from this beginning sprang many of San Jose's most beautiful gardens. Mr. J. Q. A. Ballou, who was with Mr. Case in his early nursery operations, went into the fruit business on his own account in 1856. At that time he purchased the place on the Milpitas road now occupied by him as a homestead, and in February of 1857 he planted about five hundred trees, principally apples and pears. In 1858 he planted fifteen hundred trees additional. In 1861 he procured from Louis Pellier grafts for fifty French prune trees. From these grafts he made his first prunes in 1867. At that time they were not popular, and only small quantities could be sold. Pitted plums had the call in the market for several years. About the same time his plums came in and these sold readily at twenty-five cents per pound, green. They were of new varieties not before produced here, such as the Columbia, General Hand, Quackenbos, etc. In 1868 Mr. Ballou made eleven tons of dried fruit and shipped it to New York via Cape Horn. It arrived in good order in 1869, and was sold so as to net him from eighteen to twenty cents per pound. At this time the fruit interests of Santa Clara County received a heavy blow. As we have said, the plantings heretofore had been principally of apples and pears. In 1868 the yield from these orchards more than glutted the market. There was no sale for a large portion of the product, and it could hardly be given away. Part of it was sent to San Francisco, but the proceeds, except in some cases, hardly paid the large cost of transportation. Wagon loads were carted off to the mines, but with all this, tons of choice fruit rotted under the trees. This experience disgusted many orchardists and they neglected their trees or dug them out of the ground. They seemed to have no idea of drying their fruit, or that the overland railroad would, in time, give them an Eastern market. The influence of this experience was long felt in the county. People generally lost confidence in the fruit business, and even now persons can be found who shake their heads when they contemplate the extensive orchards, and cite the seasons of 1867-68 as proof of coming disaster. The plantings in the celebrated Willow Glen District were commenced as early as 1858, when W. C. Geiger set out a portion of his cherry orchard on what is now Willow Street. In 1862 C. T. Settle planted an orchard of apples and pears on what is now the northeast corner of Lincoln and Minnesota Avenues. At that time this district was covered by a dense growth of willows, and the lower portion was subject to overflow from the Guadaloupe. The only road was the El Abra, since called Lincoln Avenue, and the main central portion of the district was owned by Settle, Cottle, and Zarilla Valencia. Settle was soon after followed by Royal and Ira Cottle, who also planted apples and pears. Soon afterwards Miles Hills and a Mr. Sampson purchased the Zarilla tract, as it was called, and subdivided it into ten-acre lots. They planted cherries, peaches, apricots, etc., and from their subdivision started the real fruit interest in this section. The first experiment was on strawberries, the first vines being planted by Downs and Arne, on the tract now owned by Gribner. Their venture was so profitable that it created quite an excitement and nearly everybody in the Willows planted strawberries. At that time there were artesian wells in this district. They did not flow, but the water raised so near the surface that it could be easily pumped for irrigating purposes. This industry flourished for some years, and then came into competition with the strawberry growers in the lowlands near the bay. Here the artesian wells gave a great flow, and the Willow people could not pump water and compete with their neighbors. They converted their berry patches into orchards; but, with the experience of the apple and pear-growers fresh in their minds, they avoided these varieties and planted stone fruits almost exclusively. After the railroad was built and the market extended, they resumed the planting of apples and pears, but discontinued it after the codlin moth made its appearance. This insect being now likely to be got under control, we can see signs of the revival of the apple and pear industry. One of the earliest orchards of the county was that of D. C. Vestal, on the Milpitas road, which was begun in 1854, and was principally apples and pears. This orchard is prominent as being the place where the Moorpark apricot was first propagated for market. Geo. Hobson, who had an orchard and nursery on the ground now occupied by L. F. Sanderson, had two of these trees, but held them in little estimation on account of their irregularity in ripening. From these trees Mr. Vestal procured buds and worked them into a few trees on his place. When the fruit came, he was so, pleased with its size and flavor that, in 1869, he planted three acres. Mr. Vestal's experiments attracted attention, and the Moorpark came into universal favor. Mr. Vestal says that as this tree increases in age it produces regular crops and ripens its fruit evenly. As proof of this statement he cites one of the original trees now on his place, which is thirty-four years old and has failed in its crop only three times since it came into bearing. Many seasons he has got $12 worth of fruit from it. In 1857 Mr. Vestal received a sack of walnuts from a friend in Chili. From these he has grown three trees, from which he harvests annually about $75 worth of nuts. These trees have attained great size and are very beautiful as well as very valuable. As the orchards of the valley increased in number and in bearing capacity, the fruit-growers began to fear that perhaps there might come a repetition of the experience of 1868, and the crops be wasted. Although the new orchards were of fruits suitable for canning and drying, no one had attempted thus to preserve them for market, and it seemed likely that when the supply exceeded the local demand, the business of fruit-growing would become unprofitable. Just before this contingency arrived, however, the danger was averted by the enterprise of a gentleman not theretofore identified with the fruit interests. DR. JAMES M. DAWSON, the pioneer fruit-packer in the Santa Clara Valley, put up the first canned fruit for the market, in 1871. From observation of the superior quality of the fruits then grown in the valley, Dr. Dawson foresaw the marvelous possibilities of its climate and soils for fruit production as a factor of commerce on the Pacific Coast; and he also realized that, for the fruit industry to attain any considerable importance, it was a prime necessity that means should be provided to prepare and preserve the fruits for commerce in the immediate vicinity of where they were grown. Acting upon these convictions, and stimulated by the wise counsel and hearty co-operation of his wife, Mr. Dawson resolved to make the experiment of starting a fruit cannery in this valley. An ordinary cooking range was purchased and placed in a 12x16 shed kitchen in the rear of their residence, on the Alameda; and on this the fruits were all heated before being placed in the cans. The fruits were obtained by Mr. and Mrs. Dawson driving about the neighborhood and purchasing them in small lots, and paying five to eight cents per pound for them. The season's pack, consisting of three hundred and fifty cases of fruits and tomatoes, was made in this modest manner. Dr. Dawson thought to demonstrate to Eastern people the superiority of California fruits to those of their own States; and in this respect the fine appearance and excellent flavor of his experimental effort proved entirely satisfactory. The next year the base of operations was changed to San Jose, the cannery being located on Sixteenth and Julian Streets, in an orchard, and a partnership formed with W. S. Stevens, a brother-in-law. The pack that season was double that of the first. The third year, 1873, another addition was made to the firm, including Lendrum, Burns & Co., grocers, the firm name being J. M. Dawson & Co. A large building was erected on the corner of Fifth and Julian Streets, in which the pack of that season was made, which reached eight thousand cases. A year or two later the business was incorporated under the title of San Jose Fruit Packing Co., Dr. Dawson being made president. The plant was enlarged, and the pack increased to twenty-five thousand cases a year. The business continued in this way till 1878, when, the cares and responsibilities proving too great for his failing health, Dr. Dawson disposed of his interest and retired. The trade had extended beyond the limits of California and across the mountains to the Eastern cities. In 1879 Dr. Dawson returned to his place on the Alameda, and resumed the business in a moderate way, in a building erected for the purpose in the rear of their residence, under his individual name, J. M. Dawson. The following year he took in his son, E. L. Dawson, as an equal partner, the firm title becoming "The J. M. Dawson Packing Company." The plant was enlarged from year to year, the frontage changed to Myrtle Street, and the pack correspondingly increased. In 1883 Dr. Dawson retired, placing the active management in the hands of his son, the junior partner, who has conducted the business ever since. The old gentleman's health steadily declined, and he passed away in March, 1885. His interest in the business passed into the hands of the widow, who is still a joint owner with her son, under whose enterprising management it has prospered and grown. The pack and sale of canned goods by the firm in 1887 was over one hundred and forty thousand cases, giving employment during the busy season to from three hundred to five hundred hands. The aim of the Dawson Packing Company has always been for the highest standard of excellence in the quality of their goods, and no brand of canned fruits ranks higher. Great strides of improvement have been made in the methods of fruit-packing during the past few years, as the result of much study and experimenting. The. fruit is cooked by steam, after being put into the cans cold, and, wherever possible, machinery has taken the place of hand labor, and the process expedited and cheapened many fold, while the quality of the goods has been improved. This personal thought and study have developed methods somewhat independent of each other, which are, in a measure, the private and secret property of their respective discoverers ; therefore the fruit is handled in each establishment in a manner peculiarly its own. James M. Dawson was a native of Maryland, born in 1809. Came to Ohio a young man, where he studied and practiced medicine a few years. He removed to Iowa in 1851, and from there came to California, in 1870. While in Iowa he married Eloise Jones. The widow, two sons, and a daughter, survive him. Mrs. Dawson and the daughter reside in the pleasant homestead on the Alameda. E. L. Dawson was born in 1859, and was educated in the University of the Pacific. After leaving college he started in as an apprentice in the canning business, learning the details of every department, and thus is complete master of the situation. The history of the Golden Gate Packing Company is related in the following biographical sketch: GEORGE M. BOWMAN, vice-president of the Garden City National Bank of San Jose, is also superintendent and secretary of the Golden Gate Packing Company, and has had charge of the extensive business of this company in his present capacity for eleven years, during which time it has grown to be one of the largest fruit-packing establishments on the Pacific Coast. The company was incorporated in 1877, some of the members composing it having started the fruit-canning business in a small way on the site of the present works, Third and Fourth Streets, between Julian and Hensley Avenue, two years previously. The company increased the facility for the business by erecting new buildings and other improvements the first year after its incorporation. In 1881 the entire plant was destroyed by fire. New and larger buildings immediately succeeded the old ones, which were fitted up with the best and most approved machinery, constituting a plant worth $50,000. They manufacture most of the cans used, and their pack, which averages one million, nine hundred and twenty-five thousand cans, includes vegetables and all the varieties of fruits grown in the Santa Clara Valley. During the busy season, from four hundred to four hundred and fifty hands are employed. The constant aim of the management has been to attain the highest standard of excellence for their goods, and the "Golden Gate" brand is recognized by dealers and consumers, wherever introduced, as having no superior. The principal market for their product is the New England States, though their goods are shipped to all parts of the United States, and to Canada, England, India, and Australia. Their fruits are carefully selected, put up in heavy syrup made from the best white sugar, and are held in such high esteem that they have had an extensive sale in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Messrs. Cross & Blackwell, of London, England (the celebrated pickle firm), proposed to become the sole agents for Great. Britain for the "Golden Gate" apricots, and to handle no others. Mr. Bowman, to whose careful and able management the present enviable reputation and success of this company is largely due, is a native of Iowa, born in Dubuque forty-four years ago; was educated at Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa, and came to California in 1866. Previous to engaging in the canning business he was employed ten years by the Wells, Fargo Express Company. He married Miss A. C. Coldren, at Boone, Iowa, in 1866, who was educated at the same institution as himself. The family consists of two sons and one daughter, and their home is one of the handsomest in the Garden City. The Los Gatos Fruit Packing Company was organized in 1882, with a capital stock of $10,000, which has since been increased to $25,000. It has only fourteen stockholders, and there is no stock to be bought. Its officers are Samuel Templeton, President; James E. Gordon, Secretary; J. W. Lyndon, Treasurer; Robert Walker and Michael Miller, Directors. The institution commenced work in a building 60x80 feet, with ma�chinery giving them a capacity of five thousand cases for the season. The product of this factory was sent to England, where it immediately attracted attention, and contracts were made with Liverpool dealers for the entire pack for the two following years. The favor with which their goods were met in the market necessitated enlarged facilities; new buildings were erected and new and improved machinery and apparatus were procured. Their plant has been steadily increased to meet the demands of the trade, until they now employ two hundred and fifty hands and require a sixty-horse-power boiler to do their cooking. The pack of 1887 was eight hundred and forty thousand cans, and will be much more this season. We have run ahead of our chronology in order to give the foregoing statements in regard to the growth of the fruit-packing industry. The canneries, when established, seemed able to take care of all the fruit suitable for that method of packing. But there were varieties which the canners could not utilize to advantage in this manner. Notably among these were prunes and apples, and some varieties of plums. In July, 1874, a company was formed called the "Alden Fruit and Vegetable Preserving Company." The projectors were W. H. Leeman, F. C. Leeman, C. T. Settle, Ira Cottle, M. R. Brown, Royal Cottle, Oliver Cottle, S. Newhall, W. W. Cozzens, R. C. Swan, K. D. Berre, A. D. Colton, Miles Hills, J. M. Hatter, T. B. Keesling, M. Hale, and Pedro de Saisset. They purchased an Alden evaporator and placed it at the corner of San Salvador Street extension and Josefa Street. The machine was of no great capacity and did not work satisfactorily, but it turned out some good fruit, and in 1876 the company made a shipment of about fifteen tons of dried apricots. The returns. from this shipment were so large that it satisfied the people that there was a great future for fruit-growing in this county. They knew that methods could and would be devised for putting their product into an imperishable shape for transportation, and they started in with vigor to plant their orchards. At this time the Willows was the principal orchard section of the county. The older orchards of Ballan-Tarleton, Aram Vestal, and others that we have mentioned, were north of San Jose, and David Hobson had an orchard toward Berryessa. The orchards of Gould and Watkins were at Santa Clara, and there were others in other places, but the Willows was nearly all planted to fruit, and it came to be believed by some that this was the only section in the county where this industry could be successfully prosecuted. There is a record of one man who owned a fine place near Berryessa, and bought a tract of ground in the Willows in order to have an orchard. That same Berryessa farm is now one of the most promising orchards in the country. In 1856 Lyman J. Burrell planted an orchard and vineyard in the mountains near the Santa Cruz line. The trees and vines did well; some of the old peach trees that were planted at that time are still alive and are bearing full crops. This was the first planting in the mountains, or, in fact, outside the little circle around San Jose and Santa Clara, as we have before related, with the exception of an orchard planted by Benj. Casey in 1855 or 1856, on the Los Gatos road near where the Cambrian school-house now stands. In 1873 the almond orchard now nearly covered by the town of Los Gatos was planted, and in 1874 the large orchard on the Los Gatos road now owned by Mrs. Gardner was set out, and also the almonds on the Kennedy place. Mr. J. F. Kennedy, whose biographical sketch appears on another page, came to California in 1852 as salesman for the nursery of Commodore Stockton. In 1860 he moved upon what is now known as the Kennedy ranch, near Los Gatos, where he planted a small orchard for family use. There were some few small orchards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, chiefly of apples and pears, as early as 1874, but this region, with the foothills on this side, took no rank as a fruit country until about 1880. In 1876 W. D. Pollard planted twenty acres two miles north of Saratoga, and the next year the planting of the famous O'Baniar & Kent Orchard (now owned by James E. Gordon) was commenced. William Rice also planted an orchard in the same neighborhood. These men were looked upon as possessed of a sort of lunacy. It was first predicted that the trees would not grow in such dry, thin soil. When the trees did grow it was prophesied that they would never have vigor enough to bear a paying crop. At six years old the trees yielded about $500 per acre, and then the prediction was that they would die out in a few years. But as time passed and the trees did not die, but continued to bear good crops, the people accepted the revelation and commenced to plant for themselves. Land which had before been held at $30 per acre jumped to $ 100, and is still increasing in value. Land on the brushy hillsides, considered worth about $10 an acre, has been cleared and planted and now is covered with profitable orchards and vineyards. At the present time there is scarcely a ten-acre tract along the foothills from Los Gatos north that is not occupied with fruit. The orchard interests of the Berryessa District are practically of a recent date. David Hobson had an orchard in that vicinity planted sometime in the '60's, and Isaiah Shaw had also a small orchard, but it was not until 1880, when Mr. Flickinger commenced the " Pacific Orchard," that the fruit development of this section really began. J. H. FLICKINGER, one of the leading exponents of the fruit industry of Santa Clara County, is the subject of this sketch. Coming to this valley in 1849, observing the gradual unfolding of the resources of the section, and grasping, with a keenly intuitive instinct, its wonderful possibilities, he has always been foremost in advocating and illustrating these possibilities by personal exertion. Mr. Flickinger was born in Germany in 1830, but from a child reared in Erie, Pennsylvania. His parents, Adam and Katie (Hechtman) Flickinger, were long residents of Erie, and owned a farm near the place. He received his early education in the usual neighborhood schools, later attending for two years an academy in Erie. At the age of nineteen, attracted by the wonderful stories told of the then almost unknown California and its treasures of gold, he went to New York and took passage for this State, around Cape Horn, on the bark Clyde, which left port on the twenty-fourth of April, 1849. On the trip, while off the Cape, they encountered a terrible snowstorm, which incrusted the sails and cordage with ice, and froze the rudder, causing the ship to drift for twenty days toward the south pole, during which time of anxiety they were imperiled by floating icebergs, and so near exhausting their provisions that the passengers and crew were put on an allowance of one hard-tack cracker and a cup of water per day! Fortunately, the wind changed and they weathered the Cape, reaching Valparaiso on the first of August, where they remained three weeks to recruit, and provision the ship, arriving at last in San Francisco on the first of November,1849. Mr. Flickinger came to San Jose in December, the " Legislature of a thousand drinks " being then in session. He at once opened a meat market, which he kept through the winter. When the Legislature adjourned he went to the mines, where he remained until September, 1850, when he returned to his San Jose meat market. In the spring of 1851 he extended his business to general merchandising, in which he continued two years, when he closed this and went into the wholesale cattle business, exclusively. He continued in this until April, 1886, when he went into the fruit-canning business. In 1880 he had purchased part of the land which he now has in orchard, adding to it at different times until he has now two hundred and fifty acres on Berryessa Avenue and Lundy's Lane, on which he has planted twenty-five thousand trees,�one thousand cherries, eight thousand apricots, ten thousand peaches, and six thousand prunes, of which, in 1887, about fifteen thousand were in bearing. When he purchased this land it was in pasture, grain, and mustard, and honeycombed by squirrels and gophers, and did not pay current expenses and taxes. He immediately inaugurated a revolution,�planted his orchard, fought squirrels and gophers, spent money lavishly, but judiciously, until, as a result of his efforts, in 1887, in his cannery and drying establishment, he employed over four hundred persons, turning out of the orchard goods that sold for over $ 100,000. These are some of the results which can be obtained in Santa Clara County by well-directed effort combined with pluck and knowledge. The cost of his canning and drying plant has been about $20,000. In 1858 Mr. Flickinger was married to Miss Mary A. Smith, a native of New York, her parents being Dr. China and Parnell (Hall) Smith, who came to California, from Rochester, New York, in 1855. Dr. Smith died in 1885, aged eighty years, and his wife in 1880. Both died in and were buried at San Jose. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Flickinger five children: Katie and Charles S. (twins), born in 1860, the former now the wife of L. F. Graham, of San Luis Obispo, and the latter in business with his father ; H. A., born in 1864, also in business with his father ; Nellie, born in 1868, now the wife of J. R. Patton ; Sarah, born in 1870, attending, in 1888, the Normal School. Mr. Flickinger's father, who is now (1888) over eighty years of age, is still living on the old homestead in Erie, Pennsylvania; his mother died in 1862. He has been a member of the I. O. O. F. Lodge, No. 34, San Jose. In 1856 he joined the Republican party, helping to carry this county for Fremont and Dayton, and has worked in this harness ever since. He believes in the fullest protection of American industries. In 1856 Sylvester Newhall came to Santa Clara County and established a nursery on the banks of the Coyote, which, after a few years, he sold and removed to the Willows. He had an abiding faith in the horticulture of Santa Clara County from the first, and has done his share toward making that faith a reality. He has not only constructed a large nursery, but he has also planted about a hundred acres of orchard, which is at this time coming into full fruition. In 1863 came John Rock, a German by birth, but with many years' experience in the nurseries at Rochester, New York, and other noted fruit-growing sections of the East. He established a small nursery on land near Alviso, rented from Malavos. He soon moved from there to Wm. Boots' place, and in 1865 purchased forty-eight acres on the Milpitas road near San Jose, which he planted to a nursery of fruit and ornamental trees. In 1879 this place became too small for his operations, and he purchased his present location, of one hundred and thirty-eight acres, near Wayne Station. The rapid strides of the California fruit interests made such demands on the Santa Clara County nurseries that in 1884 Mr. Rock, with R. D. Fox and several other nurserymen, organized the California Nursery Company, and purchased four hundred and sixty-three acres of land near Niles, of which three hundred and thirty-three acres are now planted and furnishing stock, and the remainder will be planted during the season of 1888-89. Mr. Rock's exhibiton of Santa Clara County nursery products at the New Orleans Exposition of 1884 received the award of all the principal premiums offered in that department. The capital stock of the California Nursery Company is $100,000, and John Rock is its President, and R. D. Fox, its Vice-President. Although these nurseries are just outside the county limits, we speak of them as belonging to Santa Clara County, for the reason that they are the result of Santa Clara County energy and Santa Clara County capital. As has been previously stated, there was a considerable period during which there was a prevailing opinion that the Willows was the true fruit section of the county. In reference to this opinion very little planting was done outside this district except for home use. It was especially held that west and south, toward the foothills, where the water was so far beneath the surface, trees could not grow and produce profitable crops. One of the first to break over this popular superstition was Mr. T. W. Mitchell, the result of whose efforts is here given. THOMAS W. MITCHELL is the proprietor of the San Tomas Orchard, the largest orchard in the San Tomas District. The property fronts the Quito road, and is situated about one mile southeast of Saratoga. Mr. Mitchell's residence, which is approached from the road over an avenue eighty rods in length, stands near the center of his one hundred and eighteen acres, of which eighty-three acres are in orchard. He bought the place in 1881. It was then in bad condition, having been devoted many years to grain culture, and sadly neglected. Years were spent in bringing the property into its present fine condition. Now (in 1888) it is no disparagement to others to say that no property in the neighborhood shows better care and skill in management, or produces better results than does this�in fact, 'tis not saying too much when it is stated that no better orchard can be found in the country. Fifteen acres are devoted to the culture of seventeen hundred cherry trees, principally of the Tartarian, Governor Wood, and Royal Ann varieties. No fruit of this kind in the county ranks higher than does Mr. Mitchell's in the San Francisco market. The crop of 1887 brought $2,500. Three hundred and fifty young peach trees comprise the peach orchard, and four thousand prune trees (chiefly French), the prune orchard. These, with six hundred almond trees, Oregon and Bulgarian prune trees, apple and pear trees, besides a vineyard covering twenty acres (planted generally in rows alternating with peach and prune trees), make the grand total of product and revenue. The entire property of one hundred and eighteen acres is made excellent in improvement and grand in productive results. Mr. Mitchell was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, November 29, 1825. He is the son of William and Elizabeth Mitchell. The family came to the United States, and settled in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. There the subject of this sketch married Miss Martha Williams, in 1856. Later, they removed to Walworth County, and from Wisconsin came to California in 1861. They made Calaveras County their home for seven years, leaving it in 1868 to become residents of San Jose. There they lived until they took possession of their Santa Clara home (before described), in 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell are the parents of three children, of whom two, Ada and Frank, are living. Carrie, the wife of Charles C. Worthington, died at the age of twenty-nine years. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have in their care her two children, Ada Louisa and Georgie May. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell are consistent members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Mitchell has been a steadfast supporter of the Republican party ever since its organization. In 1880 G. W. Gardner purchased the tract on the Los Gatos road at the northwest corner of what is now called "Orchard Homes." It ran from the corner westerly to the narrow-gauge railroad. This he planted the same and the following years, about the same time. Henry Curtner, who had purchased what was known as the "Johnson Farm," situated to the south and east of Gardner's, sold it out in subdivisions and it was planted in 1882 and 1883. The Leigh tract was subdivided and sold in 1882 and planted the following spring. Newhall's forty-acre prune orchard was planted in 1883. Most of the other orchards on Hamilton Avenue were planted the year before. About this time also were planted the orchards around Campbell's Station, along the Infirmary road and Gruwell road. Cozzen's large prune orchard on the Kirk tract was planted in 1882, and the one at the corner of the Stevens Creek and Infirmary road was planted in 1883. The Bradley prune orchard was planted in 1875, and it was the great yield of these trees that induced much of the planting of French prunes. The product of this orchard, which contains ten acres, has run from $2,500 to $4,000 each season since the trees were six years old. The large plantings north and west of Santa Clara date from 1880, and so with the Doyle, Cupertino, and other districts west. Although there are some older orchards around Mayfield and Mountain View, the real interest in fruit-growing is only about four years old. The same may be said of the Evergreen District, and the country to the south of San Jose, and along the Monterey road and in the vicinity of Gilroy. Many years ago Mr. Hiram Pomeroy demonstrated the capacity of the Little Calaveras Valley as a fruit section, but as nearly all of that valley is owned by the Spring Valley Water Company, no extensive plantings have been made. The hill-sides and slopes to the east of Milpitas have long been noted for their peculiarly mild climate, the Portuguese gardeners growing peas, potatoes, and other vegetables for the midwinter market. In the last six years many orchards have been planted in this region, as well as to the north towards the Warm Spring section. It would not be profitable, even if possible, to give the names of the owners and dates of planting of all the orchards in the county. Among the biographical sketches in this book will be found the experiences of very many of the leading fruit-growers, and these sketches are intended to fill up the details of this general history. It has been our endeavor to give starting points from which those interested can trace the growth of this great industry, which is evidently to become the destiny of Santa Clara County. We have noted the transition of fruit culture from the apple and pear to the apricot, peach, prune, and other similar fruits, and we should here note the signs of another departure. The absorption of our grain and wheat fields and hill-sides by the horticultural interests has caused some people to predict that, in time, the pastures having been converted to other uses, meat will become as scarce as in Italy and the fruit and vine section of France. While the millions of acres of mountain land yet remaining may furnish range for cattle and goats for an indefinite period, they are sure that the days of the "American Hog" in California are numbered. Following the example of Eastern nations, they propose a substitute in the olive. Whatever may be the fate of our cattle and hog interest, it is a fact that the planting of olives has received a great impetus since 1886. The demands on the nurseries have been more than could be supplied, although their stocks have been greatly increased by large importations. These demands promise a large increase for future years, and point to a time when olive culture will be general throughout this country. In view of this fact it will be in place to relate what has been done in this direction to the present time. We have spoken of the olives cultivated at the missions. Other trees were planted after California became a part of the United States, principally for home use by persons of French, or Italian, or Spanish birth or parentage. The first attempt of any magnitude at the cultivation of olives in an orchard was at what is now known as THE QUITO OLIVE AND VINE FARM. [see next section].