Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-03
FAMOUS RANCH rs
PUT UNDER OPTION
ITS FRUITS HAVE WON HONOR
AGAINST WORLD
Beaumont Land and Water Company
Will Take Over Tom Mellen's
Property In San Gorgonio
Canyon

A deal of great magnitude and i'm
portance in fruit land and acreage has
just been consummated, wherein Claren-
don B. Eyer, president of the Beaumont
Land and Water company has acquired
an option on the world famous fruit
ranch Of Thomas Mellen in San Gorgonio
canyon, four miles north OF Beaumont.
The property in question is 455 acres
in extent, of which only fifteen acres
are in orchard, and the purchase price
is stated at $25, 900. Fully three-fourths
OIL the property consists of rolling land,
suitable for grazing, interspersed here
and there by level stretches, suitable for
VINEYARDS. The remainder of the land
consists of rich, alluvial benches, extend
ing along the banks Of Little San Cor
gorio creek This land is ideal for sub
division purposes into small ranches for
raisins, apples, plums, pears and other
deciduous fruits.
The Mellen ranch joins the lands of the
Beaumont Land and Water company,
who own a vast area of equally as rich
fruit land extending in an almost un-
broken chain from point a mile south
of the station at Beaumont, over four and
ene-half miles north therefrom. In de-
scribing the Mellen property 1t is i'm
possible to separate the characteristics
of Mr.. Mellen, who is known to all local
fruit dealers as the greatest expert in
Southern California.
"Perched on a narrow shelf of land,
away up in San Gorgonio pass, lives
mute inglorious Luther Burbank, but In
the hall of fame his name has been writ
ten," says A. V. Bartlett, an authority
on fruit growing.
Another Burbank
''It is a far cry from the rugged sur
roundings of the San Bernardlno noun
tains to the beaten tracks of modern
conditions, but for the appreciative WIS.,
itor Tom Mellen win go into his treasure
box and abstract a long roll lie VIII
take off many tissue paper Wrapplngs
| and then at last spread out before the
astonished vision diploma certifying
that he, in competition with the fruit
raisers from all parts of the globe, won
first prize at the Chicago worlds fair
for his exhibit of dried fruits, while his
helpmeet, Mrs. Mellen, received high
| commentator for the manner in which
| the fruit was packed.
.'It was twenty-four years ago that
Tom Mellen, a venturesome Canadian
farm hand, and his Yankee wife came
west to seek their fortunes, with nothing
more than their strength of body and
Willingness TO TOLL lney reacneu San
Gorgonio pass, at the summit of which
the town OF Beaumont now stands, and
there obtained employment with DR..
Edgar In this employment Mellen
learned something of horticulture and
the possibilities of the district in which
he had become located Going up in the
foothills he found a bench of compara-
lively level land, situated picturesquely
beside Little San Gorgonio creek in Edgar
canyon named for the pioneer doctor.
He filed his homestead claim, obtained
the water rights and started to raise
fruit.
q. 1T is no credit to me, says Tom
Mellen. My wife and 1 scratched UP the
soil a little. as you see, but that isn't
what makes the fruit sweet and firm.
Don't you smell the breath of the noun