Difference between revisions of "Mountain View Fruit Exchange"

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| primary_business = Dried Fruit Packer
 
| primary_business = Dried Fruit Packer
 
| primary_town = Mountain View
 
| primary_town = Mountain View
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| primary_dates=1903-1909
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| successors= [[Mountain View Packing Company]]
 
}}
 
}}
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'''Mountain View Fruit Exchange''' was a Mountain View dried fruit packer, founded in 1903, and dissolved by 1909.  The company was incorporated on May 18, 1903 with $75,000 in capital<ref>Report of the Secretary of State: State Corporations: [http://books.google.com/books?id=f0NNAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA60&lpg=RA1-PA60&dq=%22mountain+view+fruit+exchange%22&source=bl&ots=oHd7w5KGr4&sig=LCaz0S9eo686NImJ_15T4mR6D2A&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-u6JUarzJ4qG8QSr9YDICA&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22mountain%20view%20fruit%20exchange%22&f=false Appendix to the Journals of the Senate and Assembly of the 36th Session of the Legislature of the State of California]</ref>.  The officers of the company at the time of the Great 1906 Earthquake were M. Farrell (president), Z.T. Croop, VP, F.A. Poland, Secretary, C. Jesse Titus, treasurer, with H. Morton, J. J. Cutter, and Joseph F. Fritts as directors<ref>Quake Damage at Mountain View: [http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rZUkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=p-MFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5010%2C6502421 June 11, 1906 San Jose Evening News]  The packing house was damaged beyond repair by the 1906 earthquake; the directors planned to rebuild it quickly for storing that year's crop.</ref>.  The Mountain View Fruit Exchange was short-lived, with its corporation charter forfeited by 1909<ref>California Secretary of State, [http://books.google.com/books?id=i_8rAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA12&lpg=PA12&dq=%22mountain+view+fruit+exchange%22&source=bl&ots=E3EBOdV3DA&sig=Qdo__EA8eeZEfSBvPeRC6PaxvsQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-u6JUarzJ4qG8QSr9YDICA&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=%22mountain%20view%20fruit%20exchange%22&f=false Domestic Corporations Whose Charters Have Been Forfeited, November 30, 1909]</ref>.  Croop subsequently formed the [[Mountain View Fruit Association]] in 1910<ref>Coast News Items: [http://books.google.com/books?id=C3JRAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA3&ots=NB7PhVf6pe&dq=z.%20t.%20croop%20mountain%20view&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q=z.%20t.%20croop%20mountain%20view&f=false April 3, 1910 California Fruit News].</ref>.
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Titus was president of the Bank of Mountain View<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=CH9QAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA461&ots=RNWxxpnpqe&dq=%22c.%20jesse%20titus%22%20mountain%20view&pg=PA461#v=onepage&q=%22c.%20jesse%20titus%22%20mountain%20view&f=false Report of Bank Commissioners, State of California], 1905.</ref>.
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B. Milton Smith hinted that the company sold poor-quality prunes.  In a 1920 article on cooperatives, he remembered a Mountain View packer from thirteen years before whose poor quality prunes sullied the Santa Clara Valley's name:<ref>Which Way Will You Go, Mr. Grower: [http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88085488/1920-03-19/ed-1/seq-3/#words=Mountain+Clara+packing+fruit+Santa+packed+View March 19, 1920 Pullman Herald].  Opinion piece arguing for grower cooperatives</ref>
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<blockquote>
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"A firm of this sort of packers had the Old Mountain View packing house along about that time on a lease.  They bought up prunes whereever they could get them cheap enough, and packed them out of here under the name of "Santa Clara County Prunes".  They did more to damage the name of Santa Clara County fruit and spoil the market for it than all causes combined had ever been able to do to benefit it.  They were unscrupulous and unfair in their dealings with the growers, and never hesitated to take advantage of them whenever opportunity offered."
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</blockquote>
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Mountain View Fruit Exchange's building was a former grain warehouse.  An 1897 Sanborn map shows the site as Mrs. S. E. Bubb's Grain Warehouse (vacant).  By 1904, the Sanborn map shows a low warehouse only with a dryer in one corner.  The building was levelled by 1906 earthquake, but rebuilt in 4 months<ref>Nicholas Perry, [http://books.google.com/books?id=VpNa9UckT24C&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=%22mountain+view+fruit+exchange%22&source=bl&ots=YcHFNduvhD&sig=xpYOQ6XcGrErGanbbcs5lNHo75g&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-u6JUarzJ4qG8QSr9YDICA&ved=0CD0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22mountain%20view%20fruit%20exchange%22&f=false Mountain View], Arcadia Publishing.  Shows picture of new building.</ref> .
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The new building was a three story packing house, with grading on the 3rd floor, box making and storage on second, and packing on first.  There was a separate sulfur house, and separate "facing" room (ground floor, better light?). 
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After the Exchange business collapsed, the plant was used by the [[Mountain View Packing Company]], which became [[Sunsweet]]'s plant #8.
  
 
==Locations==
 
==Locations==
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! Location !! Years !! Address !! Details
 
! Location !! Years !! Address !! Details
 
|-
 
|-
| Mountain View || 1904, 1908 || [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=end%20of%20Oak%20Street%20east%20of%20Bailey%20Road,Mountain%20View end of Oak Street east of Bailey Road] ||  
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| Mountain View || 1903-1909 || [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=end%20of%20Oak%20Street%20east%20of%20Bailey%20Road,Mountain%20View end of Oak Street east of Bailey Road] ||  
 
On Sanborn map. 1904, 1908.
 
On Sanborn map. 1904, 1908.
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
==Details==
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==References==
 
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<references/>
[http://books.google.com/books?id=f0NNAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA60&lpg=RA1-PA60&dq=%22mountain+view+fruit+exchange%22&source=bl&ots=oHd7w5KGr4&sig=LCaz0S9eo686NImJ_15T4mR6D2A&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-u6JUarzJ4qG8QSr9YDICA&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22mountain%20view%20fruit%20exchange%22&f=false Incorporated May 18, 1903] with $75,000 in capital. 
 
[http://books.google.com/books?id=i_8rAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA12&lpg=PA12&dq=%22mountain+view+fruit+exchange%22&source=bl&ots=E3EBOdV3DA&sig=Qdo__EA8eeZEfSBvPeRC6PaxvsQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-u6JUarzJ4qG8QSr9YDICA&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=%22mountain%20view%20fruit%20exchange%22&f=false Corporation charter forfeited ] by 1909.
 
 
 
[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rZUkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=p-MFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5010%2C6502421 Officers in 1906  at time of earthquake] were M. Farrell (president), Z.T. Croop, VP, F.A. Poland, Secretary, C. Jesse Titus, treasurer, with H. Morton, J. J. Cutter, and Joseph F. Fritts as directors.
 
 
 
Was Mrs. S. E. Bubb's Grain Warehouse (vacant) on 1897 Sanborn map. 1904 Sanborn map shows a low warehouse only with a dryer in one corner.  Levelled by 1906 earthquake, rebuilt in 4 months according to
 
[http://books.google.com/books?id=VpNa9UckT24C&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=%22mountain+view+fruit+exchange%22&source=bl&ots=YcHFNduvhD&sig=xpYOQ6XcGrErGanbbcs5lNHo75g&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-u6JUarzJ4qG8QSr9YDICA&ved=0CD0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22mountain%20view%20fruit%20exchange%22&f=false Mountain View Arcadia book.]
 
Rebuilt as three story packing house, with grading on the 3rd floor, box making and storage on second, and packing on first.  Separate sulfur house, separate facing room (ground floor, better light?). 
 
 
 
Mention in
 
[http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88085488/1920-03-19/ed-1/seq-3/#words=Mountain+Clara+packing+fruit+Santa+packed+View Pullman Herald March 19 1920 ]
 
(citing Mountain View Register Leader) about a company in Mountain View that sold the worst prunes.
 
 
[[Category:Mountain View]]
 
[[Category:Mountain View]]
 
[[Category:Dried Fruit Packer]]
 
[[Category:Dried Fruit Packer]]

Latest revision as of 01:52, 7 May 2014

Summary
Business

Dried Fruit Packer
Main Location

Mountain View
Active

1903-1909
Successors

Mountain View Packing Company

Mountain View Fruit Exchange was a Mountain View dried fruit packer, founded in 1903, and dissolved by 1909. The company was incorporated on May 18, 1903 with $75,000 in capital[1]. The officers of the company at the time of the Great 1906 Earthquake were M. Farrell (president), Z.T. Croop, VP, F.A. Poland, Secretary, C. Jesse Titus, treasurer, with H. Morton, J. J. Cutter, and Joseph F. Fritts as directors[2]. The Mountain View Fruit Exchange was short-lived, with its corporation charter forfeited by 1909[3]. Croop subsequently formed the Mountain View Fruit Association in 1910[4]. Titus was president of the Bank of Mountain View[5].

B. Milton Smith hinted that the company sold poor-quality prunes. In a 1920 article on cooperatives, he remembered a Mountain View packer from thirteen years before whose poor quality prunes sullied the Santa Clara Valley's name:[6]

"A firm of this sort of packers had the Old Mountain View packing house along about that time on a lease. They bought up prunes whereever they could get them cheap enough, and packed them out of here under the name of "Santa Clara County Prunes". They did more to damage the name of Santa Clara County fruit and spoil the market for it than all causes combined had ever been able to do to benefit it. They were unscrupulous and unfair in their dealings with the growers, and never hesitated to take advantage of them whenever opportunity offered."

Mountain View Fruit Exchange's building was a former grain warehouse. An 1897 Sanborn map shows the site as Mrs. S. E. Bubb's Grain Warehouse (vacant). By 1904, the Sanborn map shows a low warehouse only with a dryer in one corner. The building was levelled by 1906 earthquake, but rebuilt in 4 months[7] . The new building was a three story packing house, with grading on the 3rd floor, box making and storage on second, and packing on first. There was a separate sulfur house, and separate "facing" room (ground floor, better light?).

After the Exchange business collapsed, the plant was used by the Mountain View Packing Company, which became Sunsweet's plant #8.

Locations

Location Years Address Details
Mountain View 1903-1909 end of Oak Street east of Bailey Road

On Sanborn map. 1904, 1908.

References

  1. Report of the Secretary of State: State Corporations: Appendix to the Journals of the Senate and Assembly of the 36th Session of the Legislature of the State of California
  2. Quake Damage at Mountain View: June 11, 1906 San Jose Evening News The packing house was damaged beyond repair by the 1906 earthquake; the directors planned to rebuild it quickly for storing that year's crop.
  3. California Secretary of State, Domestic Corporations Whose Charters Have Been Forfeited, November 30, 1909
  4. Coast News Items: April 3, 1910 California Fruit News.
  5. Report of Bank Commissioners, State of California, 1905.
  6. Which Way Will You Go, Mr. Grower: March 19, 1920 Pullman Herald. Opinion piece arguing for grower cooperatives
  7. Nicholas Perry, Mountain View, Arcadia Publishing. Shows picture of new building.