The record-union., 1891-04-30
A CAPAY COLONY.
Busy Fruit-Growers in a Pretty
YolO Valley-Tancred and Its
Adjoining Farms.

I i
Robert A. and Neal D. Barker associated
themselves with William Mckay, all of Oak
land with view of searching out n suitable
location in which to engage in the profitable
occupation OF fruit-growing. After visiting
many localities, they decided on the Capay
Valley, folo County, and the Rhodes tract
| at Tancred.
| Negotiations were opened with the Capay
| Valley Land Company, owning the tract in
| question With w. II. Mills, the General
| Agent of that company, they arranged for the
purchase of about 22o acres of foothilI land.
This being more than they had thought of
| taking for their own use, they spoke to a
number of friends about il, with the result
that the tract was divided among the follow
ing people: 3. l.. Hickok, 40 acres; w. t.
Barnett 20 acres; n. T. Greathead, 20 acres;
Mrs. l.. Greathead, 20 acres w. Mckay, 20
acres; n. d. Barker, 20 acres; Il. ~ Barker,
20 acres; J. p. Brownlee, 20 acres: E. II. Has
lett 1o acres; Joseph Barker. 10 acres; A. w.
Kelly, 10 acres, and Frederick Kelly, 10 acres.
SO far this had been merely a private ven
ture of the gentlemen above named but in
1
already purchased, it was found that so many
more would like to join it than the area of the
purchase would admit of, that it was sug-
geSted on all hands, "Why not get some more
land and divide it up in the same way?"
Then followed the idea of a stock company to
take hold of a larger tract and arrange for the
cultivation of the whole of 1t, after subdividing
tn no ,NFt
scribers. A provisional board was formed. n
prospectus issued, and finally, on the 5th of
June, 1890, the Western Cooperative Col
onization and Improvement Company was
duly registered and proceeded to business,
with the following officers: President, Will
lam Mckay; ce-President NJ. p Brown;
Directors-H. c. Ellis, Charles Brooke and
H. a. Barker; Secretary and General Manager,
Neal d. Barker; solicitor, C. L. Shook; Treas
urer, First National Bank of Oakland
! The balance of the tract, 373 acres was pur-
chased. a contract was entered into for the
purchase of a large number of fruit trees,
vines, etc. This early purchase of trees was
| the means of saving between $4,000 and
$4,000 10 the company, the prices in some
cases having more than doubled since then.
The ideas which the prospectus set forth
| have been but slightly modified and the
! progress of the company has been uninter-
| rupted. Those who went into it doubtingIy
| 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 10000 trees
and between 10000 and O,GOO vines will be
planted.
The satisfactory working of this scheme has
! had the effect of attracting considerable at-
tention to 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 very bright
future, as well as for the beautiful valley in
which their operations are conducted How
| this marvellous little garden has come to be 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.
| The fruits set out are mostly of the standard
neutrality-suspicious., apricots, Bartlett pears
prunes, figs, raiSin grapes etc, while along
both sides of the avenues, throughout the
tract. walnuts will throw their grateful shade
| y considerable number of citrus trees are also
| being set out; quite q sufficient number to
| demonstrate that these fruits can be success
| fully grown in the valley, about which the
| colonists 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
| ascribed much of the success of the venture
! Mention should be made of the town-site
| about which there is a pleasant innovation
which might with profit be followed by more
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 II from time to time as many
| of the beauties and curiosities of tree and
shrub life as may be obtained by dilfgent
search and a 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 very pleasant little place TO
! dwell in.
| A petition mas been circulated recently and
very largely signed, asking the county to ac-
cept Island avenue, on the colony tract, as n
county road, ana to build bridge across
Cache Creek at this point, in order to give the
settlers on the cast side of the creek access to
| Tancred Station. The Tancred coIoniSts are
| quite willing to give the necessary right of
way, and arc very dcsrous of having bridge
there, as the colony lands extend along both
sides of the stream. 1t is thought that it
would be a very wise expenditure of public
money to grant them this very necessary inn
! 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 who are willing TO settle on the land and
| show that the country also affords attractions
and comforts and ways Of making money
! pleasantly, every inducement 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 fact worthy of
mention is that in each contract or deed is
sued by the Colony Company there is pro-
| vision that no intoxicating liquor shall ever
be manufactured or sold on the land. The ap-
parent success of the 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, acres: w,
p. Hammond, Oakland, Ii acres: G. s. [as-
son. san Francisco, II acres; JOS Barker. 10
acres; a. w. Kelly, kincardine, Ont, acres;
n. T. Grcathead, 5 acres; r. G. Greathead
Oakland, 10 acres: r. y. Barker San Fran
cisco, 10 acres: n. d. Barker Tancred 10
acres; DIR. X. Favor, San Francisco, 81 acres;
j. L. BroWnlee, kncardine Ont acres; W.
t. Barnett, Berkeley, 5 acres; NJ p Brown,
! 10 acres; Chas. Brook, ST., Oakland, 0 acres
W. Z, Boutellc, Berkeley, 20 acres; Mrs. T..
n. CrellIn, Oakland, 5 acres; G. H. Peach,
Iancred, acres; ii. G. Ellis, Oakland. 10 Oacres;
D. NanStone, winnipeg, 10 acres; +. A. VAN
stone, Iancred, acres; l.. Wadsworth, Sac
ramento, acres; NJ. a. Thomas, Oakland, 6
acres; James Graham, San Francisco, IL
acres; A. Stark, 12 acres: j. Stark, o acres;
| Mrs NJ Vrooman, 3 acres; c. E. Shook, 10
acres; G. /. Greathead, IL acres; VIM. Me-
| Kay, acres; Mrs. Wm. Mckay, Oakland, 5
acres; Mrs. +. c. Wooley, Brooklyn, n. Y, 10
acres; Mrs. H. Beck1ey, Oakland, acres; L.