San Tomas Drying Company

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Summary
Business

Dried Fruit Packer
Main Location

Los Gatos
Predecessors

Stillman A. Moulton drying yard, San Jose Dried Fruit Company

The San Tomas Drying Company was a Santa Clara Valley dried fruit packer. The company operated from a packing house on Bascom Ave, perhaps in the former Stillman A. Moulton drying yard along the railroad tracks near Campbell. One likely site would be on the east side of Bascom Ave., just north of the railroad tracks. The company was on the San Francisco Call 1900 list of dropoff locations for the California Cured Fruit Association.

A bit of their business process is seen in a lawsuit over the 1907 season's crop. San Tomas Drying bought the Morrell ranch's expected 100 ton crop of apricots for the 1907 season, "f.o.b. (freight on board) Wrights, tested at Wrights", with an expected average size of 75 per pound. "All fruit to be delivered f.o.b. packing house on Infirmatory Road, Santa Clara County."[1]

The principal owner in 1907 appeared to be Henry Booksin Jr.. according to the lawsuit. The 1911 city directory shows Booksin as a fruit broker, with offices in downtown San Jose.

Locations

Location Years Address Details
Los Gatos 1900, 1907 "Infirmatory Road (Bascom Ave.) at railroad tracks "Moulton's Switch, Santa Clara County" according to lawsuit.

References

  1. J.B. Morrell v. San Tomas Drying and Packing Company and Balfour, Guthrie & Co., California Appellate Decisions: Volume X, January-June 1910, First Appellate Disrtrict, civil #720, April 26, 1910.