In 1971, an itinerant hunter from San Diego ventured into the wilds of Lassen County. One of the things he encountered was Wendel Hot Springs. Whatever the case may be this wandering hunter, Phil Gutman, had an epiphany.
The following year, Gutman did something extraordinary, that no one had done before. Gutman came up with the concept of Hydroponic farming utilizing the hot springs for there geothermal potential. On August 28, 1972 Hobo Wells Hydroponics, Inc. was finalized along with two other partners—Mark Souza and Gutman’s son, Andy. Hobo Wells entered into a long term lease with Mapes Ranch for the property. In August 1972, the first greenhouse was built, measuring 28 feet wide, 140 feet long shaped like a quonset hut covered with a translucent plastic. It was planted with 1200 tomato seedlings. The seeds are initially started peat moss, and set in pea gravel in nine-inch-deep beds. Then several times a day the plants are watered with the necessary nutrients. They also experimented with other vegetables and florals as well, but the high quality tomatoes were in demand, thus the most profitable. Hobo Wells operation was not limited to a single growing season, as the geothermal heating allowed the operation to grow year round.
Another aspect of this enterprise that is unique, was that Gutman had no background in agriculture or geothermal energy. As a matter of fact, he had only retired from the Army after twenty years of service.
In time, the operation expanded to six greenhouses. The goal was to raise 40,000 pounds of vine ripened tomatoes per greenhouse, per year.
Hobo Wells received extensive press coverage, locally, state and nationwide. In addition, he designed an taught a two-year course in Aquiculture at Lassen Community College, where the students received first hand training at Wendel. All that attention, brought in a competitor across the road by the name of GeoProducts.
Something happened that changed the operations. First there was the sale of the Mapes Ranch in 1976. Then for reasons unknown, Gutmans and Souza were no longer on the scene in 1977 and the greenhouses were idled. In 1979, John DeLapp of Standish had taken over Hobo Wells. By the early 1980s the operation was abandoned.
Tomorrow: GeoProduct’s Honey Lake Hydroponic Farms
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