Difference between revisions of "Los Gatos Fruit Packing Company"

From Packing Houses of Santa Clara County
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(initial import)
 
 
(16 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox
+
{{Infobox_Industry
| title = Summary
+
| primary_business = Cannery
| header1 = Business Details
+
| primary_dates = 1882 - 1888
| label3 = Primary Business
+
| aliases = Los Gatos Canning Company
| data3 = Cannery
+
| successors = [[Hunt Brothers Packing Company]]
| label5 = Dates
 
| data5 = 1882 - 1888
 
 
}}
 
}}
==Summary==
+
 
 +
The '''Los Gatos Fruit Packing Company''' was an early fruit canner in Los Gatos, CA.  The company was founded in 1882 by fourteen Los Gatos residents  Officers were Samuel Templeton, president; James E. Gordon, secretary: J. W. Lyndon, treasurer; Robert Walker and Michael Miller, directors<ref>  Sawyers, Eugene T. History of Santa Clara County, 1922, Historic Record Company. [http://www.sfgenealogy.com/santaclara/history/scchist12.htm Chapter 12].</ref>.  The initial plant a 60 x 80 foot building was on North Santa Cruz Ave between Bean Ave. and Main Street, with the buildings eventually extending all the way to Lyndon Ave; that initial plant could handle about 5,000 cases of fruit in a season.  In 1882, the company made its own cans - 3500 a day - on the upper floor of the cannery.  The cannery could produce 3000 cans of fruit per day with 45 staff, and planned to increase its output to 10,000 cans per day.  Mr. Groom was the supervisor<ref>[https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=PRP18820729.2.10 Agricultural Notes: The Los Gatos Cannery].  July 29, 1882 Pacific Rural Press.</ref>.  The company shipped 18 cars of canned fruit in the 1886 season<ref>Fruit Going East: [http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=plUiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7aMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7288,1407884&dq=cannery+los+gatos&hl=en March 13, 1886 San Jose Daily News]</ref>.  The first incarnation of the company went bankrupt in 1888.
 +
 
 +
Los Gatos Fruit Packing Company was then bought by by San Francisco-based D. L. Beck and Son, which added a spur connecting it to the railroad and increased production to 50,000 cases of fruit annually, employing 250 to 300 workers during the peak season.  <ref>Los Gatos Planning Department document</ref>.  [[George H. Hooke]] was the superintendent of the cannery in 1892, and bought the company in 1894<ref>Timeline: Los Gatos: [http://www.mercurynews.com/wherewelive/ci_5162941 May 21, 2006 San Jose Mercury News]</ref>. 
 +
 
 +
The cannery was sold by  Hooke to [[Hunt Brothers Packing Company]] in 1906<ref>Los Gatos: Negotiations Pending for Transfer of Gem City Cannery to Hunt Brothers.  August 24, 1906 San Jose Mercury News.  Negotiations were still pending for a sale.</ref><ref>Stephanie Ross Matthews, [http://books.google.com/books?id=q4PScSH02GwC&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=hooke+cannery+los+gatos&source=bl&ots=9TVeNEfagw&sig=oRSnrRJg42lwpuJ0qwI3n11nzQs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=db60UczKO-qDyAHAh4CgDw&ved=0CE0Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=hooke%20cannery%20los%20gatos&f=false Los Gatos], 200x, Arcadia Publishing.</ref><ref>Los Gatos: Charles H. Hooke Transfers Large Packing Interests to Hunt Brothers, of Haywards]], August 26, 1906 San Jose Mercury News.  Mr. Hooke: "Arrangements were consummated about one week ago to transfer the majority of the capital stock of the Los Gatos Canneries to the Hunt Brothers Company, of Hayward, who will take over management and operation of the plant.  With the exception that Mr. Hooke will have no active part in the management of affairs, there will be absolutely no change whatsoever in the personnel of the plant.  Fred Baker will be promoted from superintendent to the position of general manager.  William F. Hooke will remain as secretary... The plant will be operated upon a much larger scale hereafter than heretofore, and it is contemplated to continue packing this season a month or six weeks longer than on former seasons, until, perhaps, late in October, on peaches and pears to be shipped from localities which raise later fruits.  Mr. Hooke has made this move in order to free himself from being confined to any one plant, as it will enable him to work harmoniously with the Hunt Brothers Company in the handling of his Maraschino cherries at this point, and also give him a free hand to operate his Watsonvill plant, which was incorporated Tuesday, and other interests which will take more of his time..."</ref>;
 +
Hunts moved the plant to the northeast corner of Santa Cruz and Saratoga Ave. in 1907, and doubled the plant's capacity.
 +
 
 +
Peaches were a common crop for the cannery, both in early days and in early days and as late as the early 1930's<ref>
 +
Agricultural Review: [http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cdnc/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=PRP18980813.2.14&cl=CL2.1898.08&srpos=0&dliv=none&st=1&e=-------en-logical-20--1-----all--- August 13, 1898 Pacific Rural Press]  "Peach Canning - San Jose Mercury, Aug. 7: The Los Gatos cannery is now running on the peach crop. The last few days of cool weather have been a great help to fruit raisers on account of the fruit ripening more slowly and giving the growers and packers a better chance to handle it."</ref>.  A 1904 article notes that at least some of the product was being sold to Europe<ref>Agricultural Review: [http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=PRP19040220.1.7&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN------# February 28, 1904 Pacific Rural Press]: "George H. Hooke, the manager of the Los Gatos canneries, who engineered the sale of the last year crop, is now on his way to Europe to negotiate the sale of the crop of 1904 for the canneries, and will include the fruit of the Los Gatos Fruit Growers' Union, also."</ref>.
 +
 
 +
The 1907-era buildings may still exist, repurposed as stores on the northeast corner of Santa Cruz and Saratoga.
  
 
==Locations==
 
==Locations==
Line 14: Line 23:
 
! Location !! Years !! Address !! Details
 
! Location !! Years !! Address !! Details
 
|-
 
|-
| Los Gatos || None || ??? ||  
+
| Los Gatos || None || [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Santa%20Cruz%20Avenue,Los%20Gatos Santa Cruz Avenue] ||  
 +
 
 
|-
 
|-
| Los Gatos || 1890, 1893, 1907 || Santa Cruz Avenue (1890, 1893, 1907) ||  
+
| Los Gatos || 1890, 1893, 1907 || [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=57%20Santa%20Cruz%20Avenue%20%281890%2C%201893%2C%201907%29,Los%20Gatos 57 N. Santa Cruz Avenue (1890, 1893, 1907)] || (Los Gatos Canning Company)
 +
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
==Details==
 
 
Founded in 1882,  went bankrupt by 1888.
 
  
[http://www.sfgenealogy.com/santaclara/history/scchist12.htm History]
+
==Photos==
From LG Planing: "In 1882, fourteen residents of Los Gatos formed the
+
[http://www.historylosgatos.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/Hamsher/id/41/rec/17 Sketch of plant, 1900]
Los Gatos Fruit Company and constructed a large plant on a parcel
 
spanning Santa Cruz Avenue to the east and Lyndon Avenue to the west,
 
between Bean Avenue to the south and W. Main Street to the
 
north. Although the Los Gatos Canning Company plant could produce 5,000
 
cases of canned fruit seasonally, it went out of business and was
 
purchased by San Francisco-based D. L. Beck and Son, which added a
 
spur connecting it to the railroad and increased production to 50,000
 
cases of fruit annually, employing 250 to 300 workers during the peak
 
season. It remained at this location until 1907 when the Hunt Brothers
 
of Hayward, California, purchased the company and moved it to Santa
 
Cruz and Saratoga Avenues. It doubled the plant's capacity and
 
continued to be a leading employer in Los Gatos for many years."
 
  
[http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cdnc/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=PRP18980813.2.14&cl=CL2.1898.08&srpos=0&dliv=none&st=1&e=-------en-logical-20--1-----all--- August 13, 1898 Pacific Rural Press] 
 
"Peach Canning-an Jose Mercury, Aug. 7: The Los Gatos cannery is now
 
running on the peach crop. The last few days of cool weather have been
 
a great help to fruit raisers on account of the fruit ripening more
 
slowly and giving the growers and packers a better chance to handle
 
it. The coming week will be the rush week for peaches, and the
 
institution will run day and night to handle the fruit. The system on
 
which the cannery has been run this season under the management of
 
George Hooke has enabled the cannery to handle more fruit and work
 
less hours than the seasons heretofore, and the fine quality of fruit
 
packed this year, with the great advance in price, will make this
 
season the banner year for both the growers and the cannery"
 
  
George H. Hooke, superintendent in 1890.
+
==References==
 +
<references/>
  
Shipped 18 cars of fruit in a week in March, 1886 (
 
"San Jose Daily News":http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=plUiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7aMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7288,1407884&dq=cannery+los+gatos&hl=en
 
 
[[Category:Los Gatos]]
 
[[Category:Los Gatos]]
 
[[Category:Cannery]]
 
[[Category:Cannery]]

Latest revision as of 20:04, 20 February 2017

Summary
Business

Cannery
Active

1882 - 1888
Aliases

Los Gatos Canning Company
Successors

Hunt Brothers Packing Company

The Los Gatos Fruit Packing Company was an early fruit canner in Los Gatos, CA. The company was founded in 1882 by fourteen Los Gatos residents Officers were Samuel Templeton, president; James E. Gordon, secretary: J. W. Lyndon, treasurer; Robert Walker and Michael Miller, directors[1]. The initial plant a 60 x 80 foot building was on North Santa Cruz Ave between Bean Ave. and Main Street, with the buildings eventually extending all the way to Lyndon Ave; that initial plant could handle about 5,000 cases of fruit in a season. In 1882, the company made its own cans - 3500 a day - on the upper floor of the cannery. The cannery could produce 3000 cans of fruit per day with 45 staff, and planned to increase its output to 10,000 cans per day. Mr. Groom was the supervisor[2]. The company shipped 18 cars of canned fruit in the 1886 season[3]. The first incarnation of the company went bankrupt in 1888.

Los Gatos Fruit Packing Company was then bought by by San Francisco-based D. L. Beck and Son, which added a spur connecting it to the railroad and increased production to 50,000 cases of fruit annually, employing 250 to 300 workers during the peak season. [4]. George H. Hooke was the superintendent of the cannery in 1892, and bought the company in 1894[5].

The cannery was sold by Hooke to Hunt Brothers Packing Company in 1906[6][7][8]; Hunts moved the plant to the northeast corner of Santa Cruz and Saratoga Ave. in 1907, and doubled the plant's capacity.

Peaches were a common crop for the cannery, both in early days and in early days and as late as the early 1930's[9]. A 1904 article notes that at least some of the product was being sold to Europe[10].

The 1907-era buildings may still exist, repurposed as stores on the northeast corner of Santa Cruz and Saratoga.

Locations

Location Years Address Details
Los Gatos None Santa Cruz Avenue
Los Gatos 1890, 1893, 1907 57 N. Santa Cruz Avenue (1890, 1893, 1907) (Los Gatos Canning Company)

Photos

Sketch of plant, 1900


References

  1. Sawyers, Eugene T. History of Santa Clara County, 1922, Historic Record Company. Chapter 12.
  2. Agricultural Notes: The Los Gatos Cannery. July 29, 1882 Pacific Rural Press.
  3. Fruit Going East: March 13, 1886 San Jose Daily News
  4. Los Gatos Planning Department document
  5. Timeline: Los Gatos: May 21, 2006 San Jose Mercury News
  6. Los Gatos: Negotiations Pending for Transfer of Gem City Cannery to Hunt Brothers. August 24, 1906 San Jose Mercury News. Negotiations were still pending for a sale.
  7. Stephanie Ross Matthews, Los Gatos, 200x, Arcadia Publishing.
  8. Los Gatos: Charles H. Hooke Transfers Large Packing Interests to Hunt Brothers, of Haywards]], August 26, 1906 San Jose Mercury News. Mr. Hooke: "Arrangements were consummated about one week ago to transfer the majority of the capital stock of the Los Gatos Canneries to the Hunt Brothers Company, of Hayward, who will take over management and operation of the plant. With the exception that Mr. Hooke will have no active part in the management of affairs, there will be absolutely no change whatsoever in the personnel of the plant. Fred Baker will be promoted from superintendent to the position of general manager. William F. Hooke will remain as secretary... The plant will be operated upon a much larger scale hereafter than heretofore, and it is contemplated to continue packing this season a month or six weeks longer than on former seasons, until, perhaps, late in October, on peaches and pears to be shipped from localities which raise later fruits. Mr. Hooke has made this move in order to free himself from being confined to any one plant, as it will enable him to work harmoniously with the Hunt Brothers Company in the handling of his Maraschino cherries at this point, and also give him a free hand to operate his Watsonvill plant, which was incorporated Tuesday, and other interests which will take more of his time..."
  9. Agricultural Review: August 13, 1898 Pacific Rural Press "Peach Canning - San Jose Mercury, Aug. 7: The Los Gatos cannery is now running on the peach crop. The last few days of cool weather have been a great help to fruit raisers on account of the fruit ripening more slowly and giving the growers and packers a better chance to handle it."
  10. Agricultural Review: February 28, 1904 Pacific Rural Press: "George H. Hooke, the manager of the Los Gatos canneries, who engineered the sale of the last year crop, is now on his way to Europe to negotiate the sale of the crop of 1904 for the canneries, and will include the fruit of the Los Gatos Fruit Growers' Union, also."