The record-union., 1891-08-14
A CAPAY COLONY,
Busy Fruit-GrOwers in a Pretty
YOlO Valley-Tancred and Its
Adjoining Farms.
IN THE SPRING OF LAST YEAR


themselves with William Mckay, all of Oak.
iand' with view of searching out q suitable
location IN which to engage in the profitable
occupation Of fruitgrowing After visiting
many localities, they decided on the Capav
Valley, Yolo County. and the Rhodes tract at
! Tancred
negotiations were opened with the Capay
valley Land Company, owning the trnct in
question. With w. II. Mills, the General
agent OF that company, they arranged for tha
! purchase OF about 22O acres OF foothIu land
This being more than they had Thought oP
taking for their own use, they spoke TO a
number of friends about il, with the rasuIs
that the tract was divided among the follow.
ing people: B. l.. Rickok, 10 acres; W.T.,
Earnett, 20 acres; N. T. Greathead, 20 acres;
Mrs. L. Greathead, 90 acres; W. Mckay, 90
acres N. D. Barker, 20 acres; r. A. Barker.
20 acres; j. p. Brownlee, 30 acres; f. II. Has.
lett, 10 acres; Joseph Barker 10 acres: A. w.
Kelly 10 acres, and Frederick Kelly, O acres.
| so lar this had been merely private ven.
| ture OF the gentlemen above named. but in
| talking up the question of dividing the land
already purchased, 1t was found that so dnanv
! purchase would admit OF, that il was suc,
gested on all hands, "Why not get some more
land and divide it up in the same wayqn
| Then followed the idea of stock companvto
| take hold of a larger tract and arrange for this
cultivation OF the whole of it, after subdiyiding
1t according to the requirements of the sub
scrlbers. A provisional board was formed. a
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; Vice-President, NJ P. Brown;
! Directors-H. c. Ellis Charles Brooke and
r. 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 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 to the company, the prices in soma
cases having more than doubled since then
| Inc 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 doubtinely
| have become enthusiastic and almost all tho
| 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 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 desrous of
J Joining in with them. An additional 900
J aH To civ
| originally purchased.
For the company is predicted very bright
! future, as well as for the beautiful valley in
! which their operations are conducted How
| this marvellous little garden has come to beso
| long neglected is a puzzle to every one who
| has visited it, but one thing is very sure. and
| that is that this neglect win never againsbe
| felt in the valley.
| The fruits set out are mostly of the standard
! varieties-peaches apricots, Bartlett pears,
! prunes, figs raisin grapes, etc, while along
! both sides of the avenues, throughout the
| tract, walnuts will throw their graceful shade
! Observation-Disclosures of citrus trees are also
| being set out; quite a sufficient number1to
! 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
! ID. Barker, General Manager of the company,
resides on the tract, and to his care is to be as
| cribed 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 beauttfy
| by planting init from time to time as many
| of the beauties and Curiosities of tree and
| shrub life as may be obtained by diligeus
search and a wise expenditure of money. It
! is not expected that Tancred will ever be q
| large and busy city, but it is thought that it
| can be made 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
| county road, and to build bridge across
Cache Creek at this point in order to give the
settlers on the east side of the creek access to
| lancred Station. The Tancred colonists are
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 thatdE
| would be a 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 conf
forts of the cities 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 pleas
antly every inducennent should be held forth.
The following is a list of the principal men,
bers of the Tancred Colony, with the number
| of acres owned by each, and a fact wortllyot
| mention is that in each contract or deed is
sued by the Colony Company there is q pro-
vision that no intoxicating liquor shall, ever
be manufactured or sold on the land. The ap-
| parent success ofthe 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. Harmon, Oakland, Ii acres; @. S. Kasson,
San Francisco, IL acres; Jos. Barker, 1 o acres;
| A. W. Kelly, Kincardine, Ont 5 acres; ". T.
Greathead 5 acres; r. G. Greathead, Oakland
10 acres R. A. Barker, San Francisco, 10
acres; N. D. Barker, Tancred, 10 acres; Dirk.
Favor San Francisco, 27 acres; ]. P. Brownies,
Kincardine, Ont, 8 acres; w. T. Barnett,
Berkeley, 5 acres; NJ. p Brown, 10 acres;
| Chas Brook ST., Oakland, 10 acres; w. {.
| Boutelle, Berkeley, 20 acres; Mrs. Z. a. CreLn,
| Oakland, 5 acres; G. II. Peach, Tancred,5 D
acres; II. Q. Ellis, Oakland, 10 acres; j. Van
stone Winnipeg, 10 acres; E. a. Vanstonet
| Tancred, 5 acres E. Wadsworth, Sacramento
acres; NJ. ~ Thomas, Oakland, 6 acres
James Graham, San Francisco, IL acres; A.
Stark, 12 acres j. Stark, 10 acres Mrs. H.
Vrooman, acres; c. E. Shook, 10 acres; Z.
T. Greathead, 12 acres VIM. Mckay, 5 acres;
Mrs VIM Mckay, Oakland, 5 acres; Mrs T.
G. Wooley, Brooklyn, N. Y, 10 acres; Mrs ii.
BeckIey, Oakland, 8 acres; T. A. Marriott, D
acres; j. G. Harrison, Tancred, 8 acres. Ine
land reserved by the Colony Company, In,
dipgclu townsite, consists of 81 acres.
fe16-tfd6w