by Paul R. Spitzzeri
Continuing with our look at early walnut raising in greater Los Angeles, we move into the 1870s, as the region’s first boom, though much smaller than later ones, was well underway. While oranges were becoming increasingly dominant among trees raised on local farms and second to wine grapes in the burgeoning agricultural economy that superseded livestock raising after the Civil War years, walnuts were becoming increasingly popular.
With the opening of 1871, a report in the Los Angeles News from Anaheim in the southeastern portion of Los Angeles County (it became part of a new Orange County in 1889) noted that a Dr. Heyerman was planting 500 walnut trees across the street from his house. Separately, an advertisement from Jean Marie Vignes, of a prominent family widely known for their winemaking, offered 100,000 orange trees for sale, as well as chestnut trees, grapevines, lemon trees and walnuts. Ten days later, the paper recorded that 63 sacks of walnuts were delivered to the Los Angeles and San Pedro Railroad depot among a great deal of other items.
The 11 February edition of the News remarked that a friend was on the railroad “but was left at Florence,” a station in what is now the Florence-Graham section of South Los Angeles, “where he discovered in the plantation of Mr. White sufficient food for reflection to occupy his mind until the return of the train.” This was the extensive holdings of Caleb E. White, who had some 3,000 acres in the section and who later resided at Pomona, named for the Roman goddess of fruit, where a major street bears his name.
The stranded passenger related to the News that,
Mr. W. has 500 acres under fence, 5,000 orange trees, 18 acres in walnuts, 50 acres in black-thorn locus, unrivaled for hedges, and a young and thrifty nursery of pecan trees. The striking part of the matter is, that not one drop of water has been put upon the land by irrigation. It is claimed that the native richness of the soil is sufficient to mature almost anything without artificial aid.
With several nurseries or growers selling trees, like Vignes, as well as Ozro W. Childs, Thomas A. Garey (latera founder of Pomona and another significant thoroughfare namesake there), it is interesting to note that the News of 3 March briefly commented that the new town of Riverside, some 50 miles east of Los Angeles and founded the prior year, was the destination of 14,000 grapevine cuttings, 800 apple trees, 500 lime and orange trees and 400 walnut trees in addition to ornamentals—all hauled in two large wagons.
Another recently established community, in the future Orange County, was Westminster, though the Los Angeles Star of 25 April remarked that “some people appear to be very ignorant of the locality.” A description observed that there were a half-dozen houses completed and one in process, a dam and ditch built for irrigation, and “considerable land has been plowed, grain sowed, fruit [and nut] trees transplanted.” This included almonds, lemons, oranges and walnuts, while strawberry and vegetable plants were also set out and the account concluded, “the land is rich and eas[il]y worked, and there is nothing wanted to make this a desirable home but labor, rain and wood.”
The 14 June edition of the Star published an account on “Southern California” by Benjamin C. Truman, then proprietor of the San Diego Bulletin, but who soon came north to Los Angeles and took over the Star. Truman became a sedulous booster of the region, such as in his 1874 book, Semi-Tropical California, and his section of the article titled “What Makes Los Angeles A Perfect Garden Spot” included his remark that,
It is the vineyards and orange and lemon orchards that make Los Angeles the garden spot of California. Just imagine a collection of gardens, six miles square, and producing at all times of the year almost everything that grows under the sun. One of the largest and most beautiful places in the city is the Wolfskill vineyard, containing 2,000 orange trees, 1,000 lemons trees, 500 walnut, 100 fig and 100 lime trees, and 55,000 grape vines.
The journalist continued that close by, to the south a few blocks and then west a couple more, was the Ozro W. Childs place, on which there were 500 each of apple, orange and pear trees and 100 lemon trees, along with apricot, chestnut, nectarine, olive, peach, plum and walnut trees and 10,000 grape vines. In town was Mathew Keller‘s place adjoining the Los Angeles River and including 100,000 vines (producing 300,000 gallons each of wine and brandy), 1,000 lemon trees, 500 orange trees, 200 walnuts, and 100 of fig, lime and olive. He also had barley, berries, corn, cotton, hops, tobacco, wheat and vegetables.
In the San Gabriel Valley, Leonard J. Rose‘s Sunny Slope Ranch had 200,000 grape vines, while the nearby El Molino Viejo of E.J.C. Kewen contained 75,000 vines, 800 walnut trees, 500 orange trees and 300 each of lemon and olive. The adjacent Lake Vineyard of Benjamin D. Wilson was part of 14,000 acres he owned, of which 2,000 were orchard and vineyard land, and he was accounted the largest winemaker on the Pacific coast with 350,000 vines. He also possessed 2,500 orange trees, 2,000 of other fruit, 1,000 each of lime and walnut and 500 apiece of lemon and olive.
The Star of 18 June, following an earlier report from Ventura that claimed the largest walnut trees in southern California were in that county, sniffed that “the Santa Barbara folks are vain of their large walnut trees,” but it rejoined that,
There are some fair-sized walnut trees in Los Angeles, but they have not been considered of such gigantic size as to excite the vanity of their owners. [One tree was said to have branch spreads of 57 ad 67 feet] The [unidentified] owner of this tree thinks there may be much larger ones in this place, as he is confident that this tree has been grown from a walnut which was produced by a tree in this city, which is still in full vigor.
In its number three days later, the paper separately reported that “the prospect for the grape crop this year is unusually promising; also, for the orange, lemon, and lime” and “the nut crop, generally speaking, is in good condition, especially walnuts and almonds,” while “the walnut crop this year is looking remarkably well, and promises a heavy yield.”
As the Angel City celebrated the 95th year of Independence Day, the Star of the 6th observed that exercises were held at the “walnut grove on Alameda street,” this being the vineyard of the late Nathaniel (Miguel) Pryor, an early American settler in Mexican Los Angeles. His place was west of the river and from Commercial Street south to 1st Street and it was there that seats for women were placed and a flag-decorated stand set up under willows for the orations and readings of the day.
The same day’s edition, under the heading of “Agricultural Improvement,” made further reference to Rose’s Sunny Slope, remarking that,
Nature did much for him, Sunny Slope being true to name, a southern slope of the Sierra Nevada [Madre, or San Gabriel Mountains], with a gravelly decomposed granite soil, which makes it unsurpassed even in this favored land, if equaled, for the raising of oranges, lemons, olives, English walnuts, grapes, and fruits generally.
Five days later, the News had its turn praising the “Model Farm” of the president of the recently established Southern District Agricultural Association, noting that 1,250 acres were fully fenced with thirteen miles of picket built on site at a princely sum of $10,000. Double rows of orange trees lined the access road with “a magnificent vineyard” from the highway to his house shaded by eucalyptus trees.
It was added that Rose possessed 25,000 trees of apple, apricot, fig, lemon, orange, pear and walnut “and [which] are in a thriving condition,” though it was added that only 340, though of which variety was not stated, were bearing. The paper concluded,
Yet eleven years ago, everything was bare and seemingly barren, as the uncultivated plains to be seen in all parts of the county. Ten years hence, a princely revenue and manorial domain will reward the enterprise and energy of the proprietor. Mr. Rose has paid particular attention to the improvement of his stock, and in this respect has effected more than any one else in southern California.
The Star‘s number of the 21st remarked on “The Resources of Los Angeles” as it cited “our unequalled climate, our excellent harbor,” though the port at Wilmington/San Pedro was rudimentary compared to what came later, “our completed railway connection with the ocean, our numerous rivers,” really, the Los Angeles, San Gabriel and Santa Ana, “which afford abundant water for irrigation where it is need,” though only until about the end of the century and into the early years of the next.
In any case, allowing the importance of these amenities, the paper then commented that “the products of the soil” in the region were such that vineyards paid far better than grain fields, while raising oranges led to greater profits than with any other fruit. It was added, moreover, that
our nut crop is among the best paying of our trees; indeed, by some, the walnut and almond, are deemed as valuable as even the orange, as they can be held for a market, and are not as liable to damage as are the fruits.
A week later, the paper briefly recorded that “the grape and walnut crops will be unusually heavy this year.” This was followed not quite three months later by the Star‘s remark that “the walnut crop this fall is excellent, both in quality and quantity, and shipments will exceed those of last year.” In succeeding weeks, there were reports “At the Depot” of Rose sending 62 and 69 sacks from Sunny Slope and Childs shipping 31, as just a few examples, while the News of 14 September succinctly stating that “new walnuts are coming into market.”
Another new enterprise of note was the creation of Agricultural (now Exposition) Park, which was promoted by ex-Governor John G. Downey at a meeting at the county courthouse in late October 1870. A tract of 165 acres was acquired by the Southern District Agricultural Association, mentioned above with Rose as its president (F.P.F. Temple was among its founders) and enclosed by a board fence two miles in length with it stated by the News of 26 October 1871 that the grounds were “perhaps the largest of their kind in the State.
Central to the site was a horse-racing track (now where the rose garden in situated) and a former stable at the west end, about where the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is now, was where a grandstand was erected and seated about 1,000 spectators. Of course, a bar was installed at the bottom of this grandstand at the south end, while the north side was a ladies’ dressing room and a restaurant was intended for the center section. One hundred yards further west, in a semi-circle were 40 horse stalls and 45 pens (20 covered and 25 open) for livestock.
There were many projected improvements, including the widening of the track, the completion of the circle of pens, more horse stalls, the planting of eucalyptus trees 120 feet deep around the track and an 80-foot wide drive beyond that, alfalfa planted in the center of the track, and improvement of a pepper tree grove at the southwest section into a picnic ground. It was also specified that, though almost all of these ideas went unrealized,
A large space still further south, and which is now vacant, will be divided into small plots by numerous drives and avenues. In these plots, it is proposed to plants [sic] limes, oranges, lemon, walnut and other trees.
It will thus be seen that the Association means to make this one of the most beautiful parks on the Coast.
In early November, the Agricultural Association held its first fair, really a precursor to the Los Angeles County Fair which began at Pomona in 1922, and Childs and Mrs. Thomas Gates exhibited walnuts, along with other fruit and nut trees, with the former receiving a premium. At this time, the annual county assessor’s report was shared by the News in its number of the 4th and provided the usual information on assessed property for 1870.
Cultivated land continued to expand with close to 46,000 acres involved and north of 27,000 enclosed by fencing. Corn took up more than 10,000, followed closely by barley at 9,700, with hay involving not far under 3,000, but this also involved 6,000 acres of barley that did not mature and some of it was cut for hay. With livestock, there were 14,000 horses and about 3,500 donkeys and mules, with beef cattle at about 19,000 and sheep rising sharply as with previous years and amounting to more than 570,000.
For 1871, it was anticipated that farming would actually shrink by 2,000 acres, though barley acreage was expected to rise to 12,000. Also of interest was that the estimated population of the county was 16,300. With respect to fruit trees and vines, the number of the latter was more than 4.1 million, from which 1,064,000 gallons of wine were produced and not quite 60,000 of brandy. The emphasis on cultivating mulberries continued with a total of 276,000 of these, while strawberry plants also were being heavily promoted and numbered more than 146,000.
As for fruit and nut trees, the orange remained supreme, at 34,000, with peaches in second at just above 11,000. There were more than 7,000 apple, some 5,200 pear and 5,000 lime trees, while walnuts numbered 5,100, reflecting a steady increase. Lemon trees totaled 3,700, while there were 2,000 each of figs and pomegranates and 1,850 apricots. Total assessed values were almost $4.4 million for real estate and improvements and north of $2.5 for personal property.
Another local property of note emphasized in the press during this period was Kewen’s El Molino Viejo, which was previously part owned by William Workman. The News of the 10th discussed rare plants raised there including pineapples, coffee and a date palm, though it was added that “the Colonel has about a thousand walnut plants which he intends putting in the ground at once” and “these will be a valuable addition to his groves of fruit-bearing walnut and orange trees.”
The next day’s Star discussed “Our Producing Interests” and noted that,
In spite of the severe drouths which have prevailed for the past two years, both city and county are in a prosperous and thriving condition, which speaks volumes for our resources. Agriculturally Los Angeles is better off today than she ever was . . . [After discussing field crops and a good grape crop] The orange and walnut orchards will yield largely in excess of last year, and many young trees are coming into bearing . . . On the farms much attention has been given to tree planting, and more successful nurseries and young fruit trees are growing than ever before.
On a general level, the article observed that there was more investment in building than in any single year or even five-year period in the past and it was asserted that “there have been fewer idle men on our streets in proportion to population, than in any city or town in the State.” The boom was accelerating and would do so for most of the next three years and we’ll continue to look at the walnut industry through 1875, so keep checking in for further parts of this post.