The record-union., 1891-11-06
A CAPAY COLONY.
Busy Fruit Growers in a Pretty
Yolo Valley-Tancred and Its
Adjoining Farms.

THE SPRING OF LAST YEAR
| Robert A. and Neal D. Barker associated
| themselves with William Mckay. all of Oak.
iand, with a view Of searching out a suitable
toS"lion In which to engage in the profitabls
occupation OF fruitgrowing. After visiting
many localities, they decided on the Cauav
valley, Yolo County, and the Rhodes tract az
| TancreS
so'lations were opened with the Capay
alley Land Company, owning the tract in
4AesIion with w. II. Mills, the General
agent or that company. they arranged for the
purchase of about 22o acres of foothin land
Ihfs being more than they had Thought NJ
taxing for their own use, they smoke IN a
number of friends about ii, with the resnls
That the tract was divided among the follows.
Ing peoples B. L. Rickok, 40 acres. w n
Farnett, 20 acres N. t. Greathead. 90 aerez.
MRS. L. Greathead, 90 acres; W. Mckay On
acres; N D. Barker, 20 acres r. A. Barker.
~ acres; j. P. Brownlee, 20 acres; E. H. Has
lett, 10 acres; Joseph Barker, 10 acres: A. w.
Kelly 10 acres, and Frederick Kelly. O acrea-
SO far this had been merely a private ven.
ture of the gentlemen above named bnt n
talking up the question of dividing the land
already purchased, IL was found that so MANY
more would like to join it than the area of ths
purchase would admit of, that it was sug-
gesteo on all hands, "Why not get some more
Iand and divide it up in the same wayqn
Then followed the idea OF a stock company to
take hold of larger tract and arrange for the
cultivation OF the whole of it, after subdividfne
1t according to the requirements of the sub-
serlbers. A provisional board was formed a
prospectus issued, and finally, on the 5th Of
June, $780, the Western Cooperative Col.
on1zation and Improvement Company was
duly registered and proceeded to business.
with tne following officers: President. Will
lam Mckay; Vice-President, M. p. Brown.
Directors-H. G. Ellis, Charles Brooke and
K. A. Barker; Secretary and General Manager.
Neal d. Barker; Solicitor c. E. Shook; Treas.
urer, First National Bank of Oakland.
The balance of the tract, 373 acres. was nur.
chased. a contract was entered into for the
purchase OF large number of fruit trees
vines, etc. This early purchase of trees was
the means of saving between S., 900 and
$4,000 to the company, the prices in some
cases having more than doubled since then
Ihe IDEAS which the prospectus set forth
have been but slightly modified and the
progress OF the company has been untrter-
rupted. Those who went into it doubtfnpIv
have become enthusiastic and almost all the
members arranged to set out all their lands in
fruit trees, ETC., the first year. Consequently
In this, the first season, some 40, 600 trees and
between 10000 and 10000 vines will IA
p7anteo.
Ihe satisfactory working of this scheme has
had the effect of attracting considerable at
tentlon 10 the work of the Colony Company,
and number of people are now desirous of
joining in with them. An additional 200
acres have been added to the sixty acres
originally purchased.
For the company is predicted a verv BRIGHT
future, as well for the beautiful valley i'm
which their operations are conducted. How
this marvellous little garden has come to he so
long neglected is puzzle to every one who
has visited it, but one thing is very sure and
that is that this neglect will never again be
felt in the valley
Inc fruits set out are mostly of the standard
neutrality-suspicious., apricots, Bartlett pears
prunes, figs, raisn grapes ETC., while along
both sides of the avenues, throughout ths
! tract Walnuts will throw their graceful shade,
A considerable number OF citrus trees are also
being set out; quite sufficient number tn
demonstrate that these fruits can be success
iully grown IN the valley, about which the
colonlsts appear to have no doubt provided
proper care is given to the young trees Neal
D. Barker, General Manager of the company,
resides on the tract and to his care is to be as
crloed much OF the success of the venture
Mention should be made of the town-site
about which there is pleasant innovation
which might with profit be followed by mora
ambitious places. A small park of some three
acres has been laid out right in the center Of
the town. This park it is proposed to beautify
by planting in it from time to time as many
OF the beauties and curiosities Of tree and
M ho Ohto
search and wise expenditure of money It
is not expected that Tancred will ever be a
large and busy city, but it is thought that It
can be made a very pleasant little place to
dwell in.
A petition has been circulated recently and
very largely signed, asking the county to ac-
cept Island avenue, on the colony tract as a
county road, and to build bridge across
Cache Creek at this point, in order to give tho
settlers on the east side of the creek access to
fancred Station. The Tancred colonists ara
quite willing to give the necessary right of
way, and are very desirous Of having bridge
there as the colony lands extend along both
sides of the stream. 1t is thought that it
would be very wise expenditure OF public
money to grant them this very necessary i'm
provement, as the operations of such COM
panies are of widespread benefit to the whole
county and State. The attractions and COM
forts of the cities are well known, but to those
that the country also affords attractions and
comforts and ways OF making money pleas
antly, every inducenent should be held forth.
The following is q list of the principal men,
bers of the Tancred Colony, with the number
of acres owned by each, and a fact worthy of
mention is that in each8contract or deed is
sued by the Colony Company there is pro.
vision that no Intoxicating liquor shall ever
be manufactured or sold OH the land. The ap.
parent success oithe enterprise shows that
the ideas and plans Of the colony as set forth
in the prospectus some time ago are not i'm.
practicable: c. T. Hull, Berkeley, 5 acres; w,
P. Harmon, Oakland, 4 acres; O. S. Kasson,
San Francisco IL acres; Jos. Barker, i o acres;
a. w. Kelly, Kincardine Ont, 5 acres; n. r.
Greathead, acres; r. g. Greathead, Oakland
o acres; r. A. Barker, San Francisco, 10
acres n. D. Riffker, Tancred, o acres; DR.. X.
Favor, san Francisco, 27 acres; ]. p. Brownlee.
Kincardine, Ont, 8 acres w. T. Barnett
Berkeley, 5 acres; NJ. p. Brown, 10 acres;
Chas. Brook, Sr., Oakland, 10 acres; w. c.
Bouteile, Berkeley, 90 acres; Mrs. 7. A. Crelin,
Oakland, 5 acres; Q. II. Peach, Tancred, )
acres II. G. Ellis, Oakland, 10 acres; J. Yarl-
stone, Winnipeg, 10 acres; f. A. Vanstone
Tancred, 5 acres; E. Wadsworth, Sacramento
8 acres; NJ. A. Thomas, Oakland, acres;
James Graham, San Francisco, II acres; 4.
Stark 12 acres; j. Stark, 10 acres; Mrs. NJ.
Vrooman, 5 acres; G. e. Shook, 10 acres; c.
T. Greathead, IL acres; VIM. Mckay, . acres;
Mrs. VIM. Mckay, Oakland, 5 acres: Mrs e.
c. Wooley. Brooklyn, n. Y, / acres; Mrs II.
Beckley, Oakland, 5 acres; T. a. Marriott D
acres; ]. c. Harrison, Tancred, 3 acres The
land reserved by the Colony Company, ine
dingelu townsite, consists of 81 acres.
rnTE = u E.nv