SAN10AQUIN C·O·U·N·T·Y

HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM

SAX JDAQUIX HISTD!UAX PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Volume III, New Series Winter 1989 Number4

Lodi Area Cooperative Wineries ­Their Organization and History

A Discussion Presented by Charles J. Welch at the June 26, 1989, Monthly Meeting of the San Joaquin County Historical Society.

The use of the cooperative form of organization in the marketing and pro­cessing of California agricultural pro­ducts has enjoyed a long history. Many of these organizations have experienc­ed great periods of success, and some have achieved near monopoly status in the volume of the specific products they handled. Following is a brief list of some of these long-term cooperatives:

Year % of Industry Name Organized in 1987

Sun kist Growers, Inc. 1893 60 Sunmaid Raisin Growers of California 1912 41 Sunsweet Growers 1917 44 California Almond Growers Exchange 1910 62 Diamond Walnut Growers 1912 51 Ranchers Cotton Oil 1951 40

For reasons to be explained later County prior to 1933, but the period there had been only a few cooperative 1933-36 saw the organization of most of wineries organized in the state prior to the cooperative wineries which have 1933. There had been some cooper­ been active during the post-Repeal ative winery activity in San Joaquin period.

The modern history of the California a result several groups of growers of Houston. wine industry commences during 1933, with the introduction by newly elected President Franklin Roosevelt of legisla­

throughout the state started discussing and investigating the feasibility of organizing into cooperative wineries

floor of seei formed. The, ed that it wa

tion providing for repeal of the Federal constitutional amendment adopted in 1919 which banned, with minor excep­tion, the production, sale, transporta­tion and consumption of all alcoholic beverages; and with the passage of Federal Legislation by the Congress of a "Repeal" amendment which would become effective upon ratification by three-fourths (36) of the existing states.

which they would own and which would be operated for their benefit, and from which, hopefully, they would derive higher levels of return for their grapes than would likely be forthcoming from the "commercial" buyers as evidenced in 1933. Thus the local papers during the 1933-36 period carried many stories following the progress of individual groups in their plans for organization.

for Coopera financial a! growers of a form cooper, cess or mark nish educati which group: whether the best suit the tion the folll

This amendment granted to each state the power to determine the extent of its

Some came to fruition, and some did not do so.

SENTINEL f' local interesl

own participation in the alcoholic In addition to fostering the Repeal of St( beverage traffic, and to establish its Prohibition, another pertinent feature of of S related system of laws and controls.

In the case of California, the actual effect of repeal took place on December 5, 1933, with the adoption of the re­quisite body of law and regulation, in­cluding provision for governing the pro­duction and sale of wine within the state. In view of the approaching "legality" of such traffic, there had been a somewhat liberal attitude toward enforcement of the previous restrictions, so that some enterprising indivduals had even been able to "pro­duce" wine during the 1933 grape season, although no sales had osten­sibly taken place. A few wineries had been able to continue at least a minimal level of operation during the Prohibition period for the production of sacramen­tal wines or unfermented grape juice or grape concentrate. Many growers had continued shipping "juice" grapes throughout the country to individuals who made their own wine. In addition there had been a few wineries which were sufficiently operable to permit their use for production during the 1933 season. Thus quite a few entrepreneurs were able to have wine available for sale soon after this was permissible under California law.

Many growers were unhappy with

New Deal proposals by President Franklin Roosevelt was the expansion of the Federal system of banks serving agricultural interests by creation of Banks for Cooperatives and Production Credit Associations. These new units were to be combined with the previous­ly existing Federal Land Banks and Federal Intermediate Credit Banks into a new administrative agency to be call­ed Farm Credit Administration. It so happened that at that time I was associated with the Federal Land Bank

© 1989 San Joaquin County

Historical Society, Inc. P.O. Box 21, Lodi, California 95241

Robert W. Clottu, Editor The San Joaquin County Historical SOCiety, a non·

profit corporation, meets the fourth Monday monthly ex· cept July. August and December. Membership Includes subscriptions to The San Joaquin Historian and the newsletter, News and Notes. Non-members may purchase indiVidual copies from the Society. TheSoclety directs the operation of the San Joaquin County HistorIcal Museum

San Joaquin County Historical Museum

Michael W. Bennett. Director

"Dr. E. A. S California dl was elected newly estab tives for th, Stokdyk is 1 the farmer's show a sym administerin\

So, in late Lodi district fronted with circumstancE

The makifl again legal·

They felt . were taking a ing low price the vines-

They were cial wineries of grapes-

They had a of borrowed (although all tually use th I

They had c of the newly Cooperatives

It is not SL

number of c'

prices paid for their grapes during the 1933 season. In addition there was criticism of operating policies at some of the wineries which created long

Micke Grove Park 11793 N. Micke Grove Road. Lodi

P.O. Box 21. Lodi. California 95241 Phone (209) 368·9154 or 463·4119

were soon or~ compulsion Following is c of organizatic

waiting lines and delays in the "turn­ 1934 - Bear around" of the growers' equipment. As tion - L.K. M

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of Houston, and was in on the ground floor of seeing these new units being formed. The enabling legislation provid­ed that it was the mission of the Banks for Cooperatives not only to provide financial assistance to groups of growers of any product who wished to form cooperative organizations to pro­cess or market their products, but to fur­nish educational and other assistance which groups might need to determine whether the cooperative form would best suit their situation. In this connec­tion the following article in the LODI SENTINEL for 10107/33 was of much local interest:

Stokdyk New Head of Bank Co-Operative

"Dr. E. A. Stokdyk, of the University of California department of agriculture, was elected yesterday president of the newly established Bank for Coopera­tives for the eleventh district.... Dr. Stokdyk is thoroughly conversant on the farmer's problems and is certain to show a sympathetic understanding in administering his new duties."

So, in late 1933 and early 1934, the Lodi district grape growers were con­fronted with a unique combination of circumstances:

The making and selling of wine was again legal-

They felt that commercial wineries were taking advantage of them by offer­ing low prices for grapes maturing on the vines-

They were not sure that the commer­cial wineries would buy the entire crop of grapes-

They had a new, sympathetic source of borrowed funds available to them (although all of the groups did not ac­tually use this source for their needs)­

They had confidence in the president of the newly formed Berkeley Bank for Cooperatives.

It is not surprising, therefore, that a number of cooperative winery groups were soon organized. A sort of "me too" compulsion seems to have erupted! Following is a listing, including the year of organization:

1934 - Bear Creek Vineyard Associa­tion - L.K. Marshall, Gottfried Handel,

Joseph Beckman, F.D. Balliet and David Baumbach

Eastwide Winery - E.J. Mettler, et al 1935 - Cherokee Vineyard Association

- E.A. Covell, H.F. Ellis, R.S. Lowe, L.D. LeFeber, John M. Doherty, F.W. Reynolds, Jacob N ies

Mokelumne Winery - J.R. Wiederich, et al

Lodi Winery - Henry Schnaidt, Jacob Nies, J.N. Ballantyne

1936 - Del Rio Winery, Inc. - Walter E. Garrison, Geo. L. Chapdelaine, J.E. Devine, J.C. Skinner, Charles A. Mahin, John Graffigna. The association was first organized 3/14/34, but before ac­tually commencing operations it was re­organized 2/4/36.

Two "cooperative" winery organiza­tions pre-dated the Prohibition period:

Community Grape Corporation -located on Turner Road at the Southern Pacific tracks. It had been originally built in 1909 by the Mokelumne Winery, a small cooperative, but in 1922 it became the Community Grape Corpora­tion. Having been in continuous opera­tion, although on a limited basis, it was all ready to resume full production operations during the 1933 season. Leaders of this group were J.V. Bare, H.G. Mettler, E.H. Pope, W.A. Spooner.

Woodbridge Vineyard Association -this group was organized in 1905 and operated until Prohibition commenced in 1919. Its winery operation was located on the Mokelumne River at Woodbridge, about where the Wood­bridge Greens residential sub-division is now located. Operations were discon­tinued in 1919 and the property was sold to the Sebastiani family. Still later this property was sold again and continued operating as the Rio Vista Winery, even­tually giving way to the Woodbridge Greens development. Early directors were Freeman Mills, J.H. Thompson, M.F. Ham, C. Newton, and Fred Snyde.

Upon repeal in 1933 the Woodbridge Association was re-activated, purchas­ing the former Bradford Winery, located on the Western Pacific tracks, south­west of Galt, in Sacramento County. This remained the scene of operations until 1946 when a new plant was con­

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structed on the WP tracks at the in­tersection of Turner Road.

Just over the county line, in Sacramento County, two groups were formed: Florin Winery Association, founded in 1934, and Elk Grove Fruit Growers Association. These units are mentioned because at a later date each of them became associated with either one of two cooperative sales organiza­tions which were formed to more effec­tively handle the sales problems of various producing wineries throughout the state.

In 1937, eight of the eighteen San Joaquin County wineries were coopera­tives. In 1942, Wines and Vines Annual Winery Directory showed 12 of 28 San Joaquin County wineries were coopera­tives.

So, now you know something about

the organization of cooperative wineries! That turned out to be the easy part! Physical facilities were provided for the preservation of grapes in the form of less perishable wine, most of which was in the form of dessert or "sweet" wine and contained about 20% alcohol - Port, Sherry, Muscatel, White Port, etc. It did not take long, however, to learn that physical homes had been found for some grapes which actually did not have any proper "economic" home. Selling wine was a dilfferent ball game from merely producing it, and was certainly somewhat of a foreign subject in the experience of most of the grape growers. These new wineries in San Joaquin County were not only in com­petition with the commercial wineries in this area, but with both commercial and cooperative wineries in other parts of California.

Original Board of Directors, East Side Winery, 1935 - (front row) Herman Vollbrecht, Edward Preszler, E.J. Mettler; (standing) Henry G. Mettler, Herman C. Lange, Jake Kurtz, Adolph Nies.

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Within a fe area produc associated and marketil Fruit Industri facilities in several ott throughout tl Iy, for varyin, forming th Cherokee, ( Winery, and ship of FI inl and commer, of California organization a "federated'

In Novemt Del Rio, tOgE ative Winery another "fedl California W quarters in L to FI for a bri from CWS in mission of (

J. W. Fleming. I Wine Growers

Within a few years, several of the Lodi area producing cooperatives became associated with a pre-existing sales and marketing organization known as Fruit Industries, Inc., which had bottling facilities in San Francisco and in several other metropolitan areas throughout the United States. Eventual­ly, for varying periods of time, wineries forming this affiliation included Cherokee, Community, Florin, Lodi Winery, and Woodbridge. The member­ship of FI included several cooperative and commercial wineries in other parts of California. This type of cooperative organization is commonly referred to as a "federated" cooperative.

In November, 1939, Bear Creek and Del Rio, together with Muscat Cooper­ative Winery Ass'n of Selma, formed another "federated" organization called California Wine Sales, Inc., with head­quarters in Lodi. Muscat had belonged to FI for a brief time, and later withdrew from CWS in 1943. Until 1943 it was the mission of CWS to sell bulk wine to

local bottlers in all parts of the United States. Each of the member wineries reserved the right to sell some bottled wine in limited areas of California and other West Coast states.

By mid-1942 the entire California wine industry was facing many special problems created by the full participa­tion of the United States in the Second World War. Some of these were:

1. The government requirement that most, if not all, Thompson Seedless grapes be converted into raisins for the armed forces and our Allies.

2. Creation of an artificially good market for wine, resulting from the cessation of domestic whiskey produc­tion so that all distillery facilities might be devoted to the production of in­dustrial alcohol for munitions.

Some of the larger disti lIeries attemp­ted to keep their alcoholic beverage distribution systems open by entering the California wine business through acquisition. Thus Schenly purchased Cresta Blanca and Roma Wine Com-

J. W. Fleming, Lockeford Winery, (left) and L.K. Marshall, Bearcreek Vineyard Association and Wine Growers GUild.

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panies, National Distillers took over Italian Swiss Colony and Hiram Walker acquired Valliant Wine Company.

3. The government requisition of tank cars in use by the wine industry for utilization in the shipment of 100-octane gasoline and other chemicals needed in the war effort.

4. The availability of favorable price levels under OPA regulations for items which had no historical price records subject to "freeze", thus being able to support price levels based on current cost situations.

5. The availability of rail cars other than tank cars for eastward movements of packaged wines, these cars having been used for west-bound shipments of war materials destined for the Pacific war zones, and being sent back east for further such shipments.

In order to survive, the wineries which had been engaged largely in tank car sales of their wines were forced to take advantage of these opportunities. This

certainly applied to the cooperative wineries in San Joaquin County, especially to CALWISA (CWS), whose entire business was the sale of bulk wines. By this time Cucamonga Pioneer Vineyard Association in Southern California and Sanger Winery Associa­tion, near Fresno, had been added to its membership. The shortage of tank cars was the first of the mentioned condi­tions which directly affected CALWISA by making it increasingly difficult to make sales equitably for the individual wineries, but instead it was forced to determine the point of shipment by the availability of tank cars. Soon it became apparent that the only way in which each member winery could receive equitable allocation of sales proceeds was to accomplish a method of "pool­ing" each year's production, with each member to receive a percentage of in­terest in all sales proceeds. Even so, however, the filling of bulk wine orders became increasingly difficult; so it became necessary to develop a cased

Board of Directors, Wine Growers Guild (1944) (I-r) S.A. Lines, Jake Rheingans, Sanger Winery Association; Paul B. Hofer, Cucamonga Pioneer Cooperative Winery; David Baumbach, L.K. Marshall (President), Bear Creek Vineyard Association; A.M. DeBerard, Cucamonga Pioneer Vineyard Association; J.E. Devine, W.E. Garrison (Vice President), Del Rio Winery.

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East Side Winery, Victor Road. LOd;

7

i

goods program with CALWISA to pur­chase all glass and other bottling sup­plies and to handle the allocation to the member wineries of orders for bottling and shipment. Some bottling equip­ment was obtained from bottler customers who were unable to pur­chase bulk wine for continuation of bot­tling under their own labels.

A major problem to California wineries, including CALWISA in start­. ' mg a new bottling operation was the lack of historical useage of glass which could be used as the basis of alloca­tions under the system of war-time con­trols. This was at least partially solved by working out agreements with prev­ious bottler customers whereby the lat­ter would exchange glass allocations with a California winery for a like quan­tity of glass filled with wine under the winery's own label, such as CALWISA. In order to more adequately advertise and promote the new bottled products, the CALWISA board, in December 1943, engaged a well-known advertising agen­cy to make recommendations as to brand identity and promotional pro­grams. The resulting recommendation would establish "GUILD" as the leading b~and for the association's products, with an accompanying change in the corporate name to Wine Growers Guild.

Many' developments took place in 1946, immediately after the World War II period, including the relaxing of restric­tions on new building. A new cooper­ative winery ws organized in San Joa­quin County - the Lockeford Winery; and several of the other wineries carried on plant expanion programs. Woodbridge Vineyard Association constructed a new facility on Turner Road, at the Western Pacific tracks. During Guild's initial efforts at a branded bottling and marketing program, it had been found most difficult to maintain a uniformity of product while bottling at four dif­ferent locations. in an effort to correct this situation it was decided to con­struct a new Central Blending and Bottl­ing facility at Lodi. This new plant com­menced operations on September 5, 1942, and has been expanded several times over the succeeding years. By this time Guild had a membership of

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seven producing wineries, including Bear Creek, Del Rio and Lockeford in San Joaquin County.

Soon after the 1946 grape crush the war-time "bubble" in whictl win~ries had been living started to burst. Com­petition with other alcoholic beverages was resumed, Thompson Seedless grapes were again available for winery utilization, and pricing restrictions were removed! Many cooperative winery members finally received as low as $35 per ton for the 1946 grapes which had been worth $100 per ton at the time of delivery. It was very hard to realize that the war-time period had indeed been one of artificial optimism. The reality of hard work and rugged competition was difficult to face. With the availability of wine, local bottlers in the Mid-West and East resumed operations. Over a brief period the price of bulk wine went from $1.50 per gallon to 32.5 cents.

In 1951 three of the member wineries outside San Joaquin County withdrew from their federated affiliation with Guild, largely because their particular grape varieties were not receiving what they deemed to be fair evaluation in the division of pool proceeds, plus the fact that competition was causing a slow down in sales, resulting in a build-up of inventories and delays in the pay-off of pools. The year 1951 saw other major changes. The directors of Fruit In­dustries, Ltd., employed the well-known firm of McKinsey & Co. to make a management survey of the company and its operation in an effort to discover sources of improvement. One of the im­portant recommendations was that FI adopt a single brand under which to concentrate its principal sales and pro­motional efforts and resources. This plan was adopted, and the brand name selected was ELEVEN CELLARS, a representation of the fact that at that time there were eleven production units constituting FI's federated member­ship. At this time also, the principal identiy of FI was changed to CALIFOR­NIA WINE ASSOCIATION, a name which it had purchased in 1926.

It was not only the cooperatives which were feeling the effects of post­

war problE wineries VI

bankruptcy. principal fin Petri spent r formation a grape growe the purpOSE relieve his load of inves at the time organizatio became kr , Growers.

f At the bee\ Allied woulc

Company pi winery at ESI ty, then cont duction ant Allied to be basis which tion and its any net pro organization Joaquin Cal as individl members of tion, whose by Allied. i changes brc into the Pet' the new na Allied taking and furnishir duction, bot jority interes quired by H, quiring the contracting' vices. A fu years ago 'I;

of Heublein ners by Allie sent the i growers, ani former Petn

Problems Guild opera were three Creek, Del ~ Growers. Ir located at U ment was re Company of

war problems. Many commercial wineries were being forced into bankruptcy. At the instigation of his principal financial backers, Mr. Louis Petri spent most of 1951 promoting the formation of a new organization of grape growers on a cooperative basis, the purpose of which would be to relieve his company of the financial load of investing the full price of grapes at the time of a season's crush. This organization did materialize and became known as Allied Grape Growers.

At the beginning it was planned that Allied would purchase the Petri Wine Company plant facilities including the winery at Escalon in San Joaquin Coun­ty, then contract to furnish grapes, pro­duction and bottling services, with Allied to be compensated on a formula basis which would give that organiza­tion and its members a percentage of any net profits which the Petri sales organization might engender. Many San Joaquin County growers joined Allied as individual members including members of Community Grape Corpora­tion, whose winery later was acquired by Allied. Later a series of further changes brought Italian-Swiss Colony into the Petri sales organization under the new name United Vintners, with Allied taking over the physical facilities and furnishing the same services of pro­duction, bottling, etc. Still later a ma­jority interest in United Vintners was ac­quired by Heublein Co. with Allied ac­quiring the minority interest and still contracting to furnish the previous ser­vices. A further development a few years ago was the acquisition of most of Heublein's interest in United Vint­ners by Allied which continues to repre­sent the interests of many grape growers, and which sti II operates the former Petri Winery at Escalon.

Problems continued to occur in the Guild operation, until by 1962 there were three member wineries - Bear Creek, Del Rio and Mendocino Grape Growers, Inc., a small cooperative located at Ukiah. During 1962 an agree­ment was reached with Alta Vineyards Company of Fresno, whereby the latter

became a member of Guild. Alta had been put together during the 1950's through the acquisition from bankrupt­cy preceedings by a Fresno en­trepreneur of several separate winery operations; Alta Vineyards Company, whose winery was across McKinley Avenue at Clovis Avenue from the Fresno Municipal Airport; Cameo Vineyards, which had operated as a cooperative; and Cribari Wine Com­pany. In the case of Cribari, Alta had purchased only inventory and brand names, with the winery on Clovis Avenue being acquired by Gallo. Alta also had given employment to three of the younger members of the Cribari family. In 1961 Alta had acquired the wine assets of the Garrett family in Southern California, at Guasti. This had included considerable inventory, and the former Guasti Winery, and several brand names including Virginia Dare and Paul Garrett.

Over the years there had been much discussion of the possible advisability of Guild's departing from the "federated" structure with multiple managements and boards of directors, and merging into one integrated cor­porate structure which would own all needed facilities, have a single manage­ment and a Single board of directors. This subject received intensive con­sideration during 1963, with the result that as of September 1, 1963, such an in­tegration program was effected. The surviving corporate name continued to be GUILD WINE CO., the change from WINE GROWERS GUILD having been made on 9/01/62.

In July 1968 Guild purchased the physical property and inventory of the Crestview Winery near Sanger, in the Fresno area. Guild's membership in the area was getting beyond the capacity of its Fresno Winery (formerly Alta) and any expansion at that location was not feasible because of its closeness to the Fresno city limits and the Fresno Municipal Airport. The encroaching residential areas were also creating criticism of the winery waste odors from all of the wineries in the general neighborhood. As of March 1, 1971, Guild further expanded its scope of

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operations by purchasing from Schenly Industries, Inc., the latter's subsidiary known as Roma Wine Company. This in­cluded all of the brands and inventories plus three winery properties - at Fresno, Delano and Kingsburg. The more impor­tant of the brands involved included ROMA, CRESTA BLANCA and COOK'S (CHAMPAGNE). The corparate name was changed to GUILD WINERIES AND DISTILLERIES to recognize the higher level of brandy production capability which the acquisition had achieved for GUild.

Guild continues as an important operating entity in the California wine industry, with headquarters remaining in Lodi. The only other cooperative winery currently operating in the Lodi area is Eastside Winery, which con­tinuously since its organization has functioned as an independent, not hav­ing affiliated with any other entity, such as Guild or California Wine Association. Over a period of time each of the other wineries severed connections with California Wine Association until for

the past several years there has been no CWA (FI) operation in the County. As a matter of fact, I believe that CWA (FI) has ceased operations altogether.

Most remaining cooperative wineries have greatly changed their basic operating philosophy. Now they accept from grower-members only those grape varieties which will produce wine varieties that meet current sales pro­gram requirements, and no longer do they merely try to dispose of grape varieties or quantities which grower­members choose to deliver. They can­not exist as surplus grape outlets!

There is something of a legend about cooperatives - that they are formed in periods of adversity, then the members elect a board of directors, the board hires management, and then all is left to management until dissatisfaction with results arises, in which case new directors and new management are elected, and the cycle is permitted to repeat! But, nevertheless, in my opin­ion, a cooperative enterprise can be of great value to its farmer members.

Chuck Welch spent most of his career working with farmer Cooperatives, first with the Federal Land Bank of Houston for twelve years, then with Guild Wineries and Distilleries in Lodi, retiring after 26 years. His first position was controller for the Guild; however, he served in several capacities including three years as Vice President·General Manager. Chuck has also served as a Museum Docent for nearly 16 years.

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Tra

t The decac

was one of eras. The cc porated in 1S police force car; a fire tn tial areas tt sidewalks, e streets that lights. South red light dis second clas was known, earned bec, games, slot bli ng devicee quor in this t

However, in Tracy's fal projects thaI acres of prirr ing; a Cham! of local n farmers, and newspapers. Byron Time! was urged to would give T participated "boosters,' . were called editor of th "knockers" t leave town.

In the pre was a rural almost 2,000 the automob ty. The busi n comprised ot tral Avenue streets, was to the new LI nation's first reached fro' cisco. With however, co halted for th!

Immediate building boe tures and r:

Tracy Boosters 1920 - 1930

by Amber Smith

The decade between 1920 and 1930 was one of Tracy's most progressive eras. The community had been incor­porated in 1910 and by 1920 Tracy had a police force of three men but no police car; a fire truck but no alarms; residen­tial areas that had no paved streets, sidewalks, sewers or electricity; and streets that had no signals, signs or lights. South of the railroad track was a red light district divided into first and second class bordellos, and the town was known as "Poker City," a name it earned because of its open poker games, slot machines and other gam­bling devices, and the easy access to li­quor in this time of prohibition.

However, there were several factors in Tracy's favor: the growth of irrigation projects that opened up thousands of acres of prime land to diversified farm­ing; a Chamber of Commerce made up of local merchants, progressive farmers, and railroad families; and two newspapers, The Tracy Press and The Byron Times. The whole community was urged to participate in projects that would give Tracy a "boost." Those who participated in projects were labeled "boosters," while those who did not were called "knockers." Henry Hull, editor of the Press, encouraged the "knockers" to change their minds - or leave town.

In the pre-World War r days, Tracy was a rural town with a population of almost 2,000 citizens, but the coming of the automobile changed the communi· ty. The business section that had been comprised of a three-block area on Cen· tral Avenue, between 6th and 9th streets, was beginning to expand north to the new Lincoln Highway, one of this nation's first continental highways that reached from Chicago to San Fran­cisco. With the onset of the war, however, construction projects were halted for the duration.

Immediately after the war there was a building boom of commercial struc­tures and homes, especially north of

and along the Lincoln Highway, now known as Highway 50. The 350-acre Adam Parker estate covering roughly the area between the highway and Grantline Road and Holly Drive to Tracy Blvd., was divided into several subdivi­sions. The Parker Villa development was advertised to appeal to families who wanted "a rural life within the city." This utopia had its drawbacks, however, when a neighbor had a ban­tam rooster that crowed at various inter­vals from midnight on. The City Trustees' attention was brought to the matter, but they felt that any ordinance regulating the time and place the rooster could crow would be "construed by the Supreme Court as interference with the rooster's personal liberties" and unconstitutional. Shortly after this statement was issued, the matter was cleared up when a neighbor had the chicken for supper.

Homes, by the way, did not always come with the land. Lots sold from $350 and the average three-bedroom home cost nearly $4,000 to build, but monthly payments of $13.20 could be arranged. It was reported that one of the first homes sold was to a fireman and his family who had lived over the fire sta­tion for some time. The wife was especially happy because every time the fire truck left it woke the baby.

The residents of the new residential areas were soon requesting more modern conveniences, including home delivery of the mail. Local Postmaster George Gischel reported that there were three obstacles to overcome before the mail service could begin. The first problem was the lack of house numbers. Most homes had no offcial ad­dress, much less a display of numerals. The second obstacle was that mail receptacles had to be placed at conve­nient places. If the house was set back more than fifty feet from the walk, then a box had to be erected. Otherwise a slot in the door would be acceptable. The last problem was the lack of con­necting links of sidewalks. "Uncle Sam will not allow his carriers to walk in mud," noted an article in the Press. On March 1,1928, free home delivery within the town was started.

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Central Avenue, Tracy's main com­mercial area, supported such businesses as barbershops, hotels, dry goods outlets, pool halls, and saloons; while the new Lincoln Highway began receiving tire and radiator shops, garages, gas stations, and restaurants that catered to the traveler. The opening of a gas station and garage on the highway was a major event in town. Close to 1,000 couples participated in a dance held at the grand opening of the Central Garage in 1923. The local paper reported, "The spacious floor of the garage was treated to furnish the dancers (with) a smooth surface."

One of the town's most unusual com­munity projects was the building of the Tracy Inn, a landmark even today. In 1925 the Chamber announced that a hotel was being planned. Tracy's boosters banded together to work out the details and sell the necessary $185,000 in stock to finance the project. A strong selling point was that by the

following summer, tourists, who had been passing up Tracy because of the lack of accommodations, would be stopping at the modern hotel. In January of 1926 the committee bought property at the corner of the Lincoln Highway and Central Avenue. Over $137,000 of stock, at $100 per share, had been sold to local investors and the building of the hotel was assured. The Tracy Inn opened a year later and a ma­jority of the clubs and organizations moved their meetings and events from the Portuguese Hall to the Inn, making it a focal pOint of activities in Tracy. The two-story building had 60 rooms for over-night guests, a spacious lobby, coffee shop and a large dining room that could accommodate 300 people. Also there was room for eight businesses on the ground floor facing the highway. The uniqueness of this project was that the local people raised the capital and made this a community venture.

The auton changes to t 1920s, the C driving of au a short time ing troughs a from Centre Trustees' att problem of c the corner o· because aut( four deep or room for pasl head their au rear ends ex' others parke tersection. 11 parking at thE the middle eliminate thE to get to and

The week t committee Trustees and be installed The signal ,/,

City Hall/Firehouse/Police Department with Nick Canale and Charles "Roxy" Hudson riding "old Betsy." Circa 1917 Photo Courtesy of The Tracy Press

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The automobile also brought other changes to the community. In the early 1920s, the City Trustees prohibited the driving of autos over the sidewalks and a short time later ordered horse water­ing troughs and hitching posts removed from Central Avenue. In 1922 the Trustees' attention was brought to the problem of controlling heavy traffic at the corner of Central and the highway because autos were parking three and four deep on the streets, allowing no room for passing cars. Some drivers did head their autos into the curb but let the rear ends extend into the traffic, while others parked in the middle of the in­tersection. It was recommended that parking at the curb would not only clear the middle of the street, but also eliminate the necessity of jay-walking to get to and from cars.

The week before Christmas in 1924, a committee appeared before the Trustees and asked that a traffic signal be installed at the busy intersection. The signal was to be a flashing light

that would operate day and night. Citizens were in favor of slowing traffic down because of the students at the grammar school near the corner. The Ci­ty agreed to the signal and supporters started gathering financial help. Charlie Clark, of the Terminal Cigar Store and Tracy's gambling kingpin, indicated his willingness to donate by asking, "How much does it take?" When tOld, Clark handed over a $50 bill with the understanding that a second signal would be installed at the corner of 6th Street and Central, in front of the Ter­minal, the town's gambling head­quarters.

For several years there had been discussions over the use of autos for police work. After the City Attorney assured the City that it would not be held responsible for accidents in which the auto might be involved, the council agreed to a patrol car. It was also agreed that if the officers caught enough speeders, the auto would more than pay for itself. In 1927 a newly

Tracy Inn, Circa 1930 Photo Courtesy of The Tracy Press

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elected set of Trustees stated that if the policemen wanted a car, then they should supply their own machine. The officers' salaries were a dollar a day, but the three men pooled their funds and boUght a used car. The city then agreed to rent the car for $30 a month.

In 1929, someone stole the auto. One night the officer made a stop at a hotel and left the motor running. When he returned, the car was missing. The Tracy Press reported that the "car was in deplorable condition, was not noted for its speed and was, in general, the laughing stock of the town." When stolen, the car had over 300,000 miles on it and three gallons of gas in the tank. The gas, according to the Press, was "the most valuable part of the whole contraption."

One building that has fond memories for the people of Tracy is the Grand Theatre located on Central between 7th and 8th streets. The theatre opened in 1923 but did not have "talking" pictures until June 1929. A month after the talkies reached the Grand, R.H. "Bob" Allen, manager of the house, took the audience one step further. A scene in the movie "In Old Arizona" called for an actor to cook ham and eggs for the Cisco Kid. On an electric plate in back of the screen, Allen fried ham and eggs with the odor reaching the audience. The experiment was well received by the audience until Allen got carried away, and during the hot love scene he burned the food.

Chronological Index ­

Throughout the '20s, Tracy had grown by leaps and bounds. New businesses arrived and old businesses constructed new offices. By 1929 the Tracy Press had become a bi-weekly, the Tracy American Legion Airport was being developed, and the Chamber hoped that the population was near 3,000. The local paper lamented that one of the noticeable things about the town's rapid growth was the number of strangers seen on the streets; time was when "everybody knew us and we knew everybody and all about their affairs."

Amber Smith earned her Bachelor's Degree in History at Sacramento State and is enthusiastically in­terested in Historical research. She has con­ducted research for the California Dept. of Parks and Recreation, City of Lodi, and City of Tracy. She has written nearly 100 articles for publication . mostly for The Tracy Press. Amber is a very active member of the Board of Trustees for The San Joaquin County Historical Society.

San Joaquin Historian New Series

March 1987 through December 1989

Spring 1987 Vol I New Series No.1 Stockton, The City of Windmills by Edrie Bastion Love, Cherish, and Obey - No More by Amber Smith

(Broken Marriages in Early San Joaquin County) Summer 1987 Vol I New Series No.2

The History of Street Cars in Stockton The Pioneer Family Register The Calaveras School

by James L. Burke by Robert Shellenberger by Amber Smith, Kathy Bonham, and others

14

Elvira Mugar Riverboat Pa

Stockton t

No Publicath

Manteca - Ci

No Publicatil

No Publicatil

The John Lyr Lodi's Germ,

Henderson B Ninety Thr

The Sperry ~

Towne Corne

The Grange

Let There be

A Prominent J.R.W. Hit(

As Ripon Gr< The Castelar

Those Who"

Lodi Area Cc Their Orga

Tracy Booste Chronologie,

March 198

Fall 1987 Vol I New Series No.3 Elvira Mugarretta Alias Babe Bean by Louis G. Sullivan Riverboat Passenger Travel,

Stockton to San Francisco by Randy Facher Winter 1987 Vall New Series No.4

No Publication Spring 1988 Valli New Series No.1

Manteca - City in Transition by Howard Shidler Summer Vol II New Series No.2

No Publication Fall 1988 Vol II New Series No.3

No Publication Winter 1988 Vol II New Series No.4

The John Lyman Beecher Story Pioneer Register Lodi's German-Russian Heritage The Beginnings by Sandra Cole

Spring 1989 Vol 3 New Series No.1 Henderson Brothers Company, Inc.

Ninety Three Going on One Hundred by Joyce Boda The Sperry Mills of Stockton by Renee McComb

Spring 1989 Vol 3 New Series No.2 Published in Summer of 1989

Towne Corner Interview with Del Smith and records left in the Towne House

The Grange Edna Wagner, Mrs. Henry Gronroos

Let There be Light and Power by Robert W. Clottu Fall 1989 Vol 3 New Series No.3

A Prominent San Joaquin Farmer Dead Oral History - J.R. J.R.W. Hitchcock Hitchcock

As Ripon Grows by Elsie Brown The Castelanelli Dairy Interviews with Lee, Bert,

Larry Castelanelli & Georgette Marinkovich

Those Who Killed Jack the Rabbit Interviews with Jos Dubacher, Jack Williams, Resource of The Manteca Bulletin arranged by Mary Albertson

Winter 1989 Vol III New Series No.4 Lodi Area Cooperative Wineries

Their Organization and History by Charles J. Welch Tracy Boosters 1920 - 1930 by Amber Smith Chronological Index New Series

March 1987 through December 1989 R.W. Clottu

15

Funding for the printing of this quarterly issue was provided by....

ThE GRUPE COMPANY

PLANNERS FOR THE FuTVRE. (209) 473-6155

Editorial Comment The San Joaquin County Historical Society is grateful to THE GRUPE COMPANY

for providing the funding for this issue. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Each year, the December issue of The Historian will henceforth contain an index of

all articles published during the year. The index in this issue includes the subjects in the "New Series." John Porter Bloom was Editor from March 1987 through 1988. Robert W. Clottu has been Editor since January 1989. We appreciate the considerable time and effort put forth by the authors and others who have contributed so much to our publication.

Non·Profit Organization

POSTAGE PAID

Permit No. 48 Lodi. CA 95241

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