The record-union., 1891-08-20
A CAPAY COLONY,
Busy Fruit-Growers in a Pretty
YOlo Valley-Tancred and Its
Adjoining Farms

! IN THE SPRING OF LAST YEAR
- Robert A. and Neal d. Barker assoc,o+.a
| themselves with William Mckay. all of oo,-.
land, with view OF searching ont q. s,itoh,.
| location IN which 70 engage in tho ,,ros.osI.
occupation of fruitgrowing. After v,s,t,r,
many localities, they decided on the Capay
Valley, Yolo County and the Rhodes tract AZ
| Tancred.
Negotiations were opened with the Capav
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 ego acres OF foothin land
Ihis being more than they had thought Of
taking for their own use, they spoke To a
number of friends about it. with the result
tnat the tract was divided among the follow
ing people, B. l.. Hickok, 30 acres; W.T..
Barnett, 20 acres; N. T. Greathead, 90 acres
Mrs l.. Greathead, 90 acres; ". Mckay. 90
acres; N. D. Barker, 90 acres; r. A. Barker.
20 acres; j. P. Brownlee, 90 acres: E ii. Has
lett, 10 acres; Joseph Barker 10 acres; A. w.
Kelly 10 acres, and Frederick Kelly, 10 acres.
90 lar TINS had been merely private ven
ture OF the gentlemen above named. but I'm
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 the
purchase would admit OF, that it was sug-
gested on all hands, ''Why not get some more
Iand and divide il up in the same way?r
Then followed the idea of a stock company to
take hold of larger tract and arrange for tho
cultivation of the whole of it, after subdiyidins
1t according to the requirements of the SUBJ
scr1bers. 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, VIII
lam Mckay; Vice-PreSident, NJ. p. Brown.
Directors-H. @. Ellis, Charles Brooke and
h A. Barker; Secretary and General Manager,
Neal d. Barker; Solicitor; @. E. Shook; Treas
urer, First National Bank Of Oakland.
Ihe balance of the tract, 373 acres, was pur-
chased. A contract was entered into for the
purchase OF q large number of fruit trees.
vines etc. This early purchase of trees was
the means of saving between SR 900 and
| $4,000 TO 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 doubtingly
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, 900 trees and
between 10000 and 10000 vines will bS
planted.
The satisfactory working of this scheme has
mad 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 very bright
future, as well as for the beautiful yallev 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 tho
tract walnuts will throw their graceful shade.
A Aconsiderablesnumber of citrus trees are also
being set out; quite q sufficient number TO
| demonstrate that these fruits can be success
Tully 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. small park of some three
| acres has been laid outaright i'll the center of
| the town. This park 1t is proposed to beautiIy
| by planting in 1t from time to time as many
| of the beauties and curiosities OF tree and
| shrub life as may be obtained by diligent
| search and a wise expenditure of money It
| is not expected that Tancred will ever be u
large and busy city, but 1t 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 a
! county road and to build a bridge across
! Cache Creek at this point In order to give the
settlers on the east side of the creek access to
| Tancred Station The Tancred coionists arc
! quite willing to give the necessary right OF
way, and are very 6esiTous of having bridge
there, as the colony lands extend along both
| sides of the stream. It is thought that IT
! would be very wise expenditure of public
money to grant them this very necessary inn
|
panies are OF widespread benefit to the whole
county and State. The attractions aud COM
forts OF the cities are we'll 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 inducement should be held forth.
The following is a listsof the principal men,
bers of the Tancred Colony, with the number
of acres owned by each, and q fact worthy OF
| 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 APP
| parent success ofthe enterprise shows that
| the ideas and plans of the colony, as set forth
| in the prospectus some time ago, are not inn
practicable: c. T. Hull, Berkeley, 5 acres; W.
| P Harmon, Oakland, III acres; c. S. Kasson,
| San Francisco IL acres; JOS. Barker, 10 acres;
| A. w Kelly, Kincardine, Ont, 5 acres ". T.
| Greathead 8 acres; Il. q. Greathead, Oakland
| 10 acres; r. A. Barker, San Francisco, 10
acres; N. D. Barker, Tancred 10 acres DR.. K.
Favor San Francisco, 81 acres; j. P. Brownlee.
Kincardine, Ont, 8 acres; w. T. Barnett,
Berkeley, acres; NJ. p Brown, 10 acres;
Chas Brook, Sr., Oakland, 10 acres; w. {.
Boutelle, Berkeley, 90 acres; Mrs T. A Crelin,
Oakland, acres; c. H. Peach, Tancred,
acres; H. G. Ellis, Oakland, 10 acres; j. Van.
stone Winnipeg, 10 acres; L. A. Vanstone,
Tancred, acres; E. Wadsworth, Sacramento,
acres: NJ. A. Thomas, Oakland acres;
James Graham, San Francisco, II acres; A.
Stark 12 acres; j. Stark, 10 acres; Mrs. NJ.
Vrooman, acres; C. E. Shook, 10 acres; @.
IT Greathead, 12 acres; VIM. Mckay, $ acres
Mrs VIM Mckay, Oakland, acres; Mrs E.
G. Wooley, Brooklyn, ". Y, 10 acres; Mrs II.
Beckley Oakland, 5 acres; 7. A. Marriott 3