Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-11-24
RIO BoNITo COLONY.

Feather River AlIuyial Lands Covered
With Mammoth Oaks.
This exceptional section Of nature is
located in Butte county, eight miles west
OF OroVille and three miles from the
towns of Gridley and Biggs, on the Califor-
MIA and Oregon Railroad 1t consists of
2,700 acres of land lying along the west
bank of the Feather river, most of which
is alluvial deposit A magnificent growth
of stately oaks cover the whole tract. hun
dreds of the trees measuring from twenty
to thirty feet in circumference and a few
even more. One in particular, which the
writer measured recently, was found to
have a circumference of over thirty-six
feet, twenty inches above the ground.
The tract was selected for colonization
on account of its exceeding beauty and fer
tility, and although less than year has
passed the major portion of the original
colony has been already disposed Of.
Many tracts of ten and twenty acres were
sold to nonresident buyers, who intend to
make their homes there, and several thou
sand fruit trees were set out the past sea-
son, the principal plant being an olive
orchard Of 100 acres. But the claims OF
its wonderful fertility made by the promot-
els of the colony finally attracted the at
tention Of A. I. Hatch, President of the
State Board Of Trade, and one of the most
noted fruit and soil experts on the coast.
After making a careful examination of its
special features, he unqualifedly pro-
uounced it as "being the finest fruit land
ne had ever seen"
The following clipped from our news
columns of Saturday last bears evidence of
the sincerity of his expressed opinion ::
"A. I. Hatch, President State Board of
Trade, and owner of the famous orchards
at Suisun and Lodi, and John Rock. of
California Nursery at Niles, Yesterday
completed a purchase from Preble x
Young of l 200 acres of Rio Bonito Colony
land, located on Feather river, near Biggs.
Butte county. Messrs. Hatch and Rock
VIII at once commence to prepare the
ground for setting out fruit trees. Already
twenty tons of almonds and peach pits for
nursery stock have been shipped 10 Biggs
to plant upon this land. The prODrietors
Of the proposed orchard expect within
ten days to have a large force of men AT
work on the land, and to put out this
planting season SEQ acres. The whole
200 acres is to be set out to trees, except
the grove Of mammoth oaks, winch is the
prettiest spot of earth on the river between
Oroyille and Marysville Date palms and
other semi-tropical trees will ornament the
county road and the avenue running at
right angles thereto and leading 10 the
beautiful Feather river. The projectors
of the new enterprise have in mind plan
to make the tract what a writer recently
described the natural park Of oaks to be,
paradise. The trees to be planted will
consist of oranges, olives, fgs, almonds,
peaches, pears, prunes- and other citrus and
deciduous fruits. Within one inclosure it
will be the largest orchard in the State of
California"
The remaining lands in the colony will
be disposed OF in ten and twenty v-acre tracts
at reasonable rates TO preferred customers.
People who mean to assist in actual devel-
opment are welcome, and will have the
hearty cooperation of the colony man
ayers. The prices of these lands range
from $50 to $3.50 per acre, and those who
will plant orchards at once can make ar
rangements so that no payments need be
made for couple of years, and then IN
easy installments. This section. they say.
must be developed, and not continue Idle
in the hands of SPECTATORS, and ,ndet such
regime will, without question, soon be-
come as nearly a paradise of homes rs are
possible under American conditions. which
are the best and highest in the world.