Tag Archives: Fruit Growers Supply Company

History

A Fruit Growers Relic

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The last board milled at Westwood and signed by those last workers.

In January 1999, a relic of Westwood’s past was found in the old Community Center at Hilt. It was a piece of vertical grain Douglas Fir 5 1/2 inches wide, 9 inches high and 1 1/2 inches thick. It was the last board cut in the dry lumber department at Westwood in 1956, signed by the last workers. The board was put on display at Fruit Growers headquarters, then located at Sherman Oaks. Since Fruit Growers has moved from location there is not telling as what became of it.

The board was signed by Joe P. Gonzalez, Ronald Edmonds, Roy Evans, J.A. Conrad, Haley L. Roper, Charlie Watkins, George Bliss, D.O. “Smokey” Phelan, Robert Cox, Joe Stripling, Thomas Cooper, H.A. Stevens, John A. Saborido, Florida Valdez, Tio Salveltti, Justin Temple, George C. Raymond, “Whitey” Weldon Snook, Jack Bates, Geo. H. Gowing, Reuben F. Larkin, William Doeering, Glen Snook, Albert Watkins, Wilbern Taylor, Alfred Mardesen, Jay Guttered, William A. Sievers, Everett Hall, Leonard F. Lagnear and Anthony Farrace.

Tim

History

One More Remnant-Camp 10

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Fruit Growers Supply Company, Camp 10, Pine Creek Valley, 1932.

Fruit Growers logging Camp 10 is unique that it lasted over twenty years and did not shut down until the end of the 1952 logging season. The camp was located at the northern end of Pine Creek Valley, near the creek. An interesting note, its water supply came from Bridge Creek Springs.

Camp 10, Cookhouse, December 15, 1950.

Camp 10’s remnants differed from that of Camp Harvey. One distinction is the camp was situated on both private and public lands. Also, due to the fact of its longevity there was bound to be lasting impacts. While there are structures at Camp Harvey, there are none to be found at Camp 10. Foundation remains of other residue are present.

Camp 10, 1950. The family cabins can be barely seen in the background.

The cabins were brought into Susanville and sold. There are a few that can still be spotted around town. Seasoned residents may recall a row on such cabins near Piute Creek and Roop Street that Dan Marmo rented. Dubbed by some as ‘wino shacks’ they had no plumping or heat. Some may know the location as the residence of Al and Joy Robbins, 713 Cherry Terrace, Susanville.

Tim

 

 

History

Logging Camp Remnants-The Harvey Line

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Camp Bunyan
Camp Bunyan, courtesy of Bill Welder

In 1942 this railroad logging line had its origins at Halls Flat, near Poison Lake, headed into an easterly direction towards Harvey Mountain. By 1949, its entire length was just a bit over forty miles ending near Slate Mountain. A culinary workers strike abruptly shut down this line. Camp Bunyan was the initial camp at Halls Flat, established by the Red River Lumber Company. It was a mixture of portable permanent structures and housed some 350 men.

Remnants of the water tower tower and pump house at Camp Harvey, June 15, 2024-Cyndi Bera

In 1944, Red River sold to Fruit Growers Supply Company and they  continued with operations until the 1949 closure. As previously mentioned in an earlier post on this topic, it depends on who owned the site where the camps were located and what type of conditions included as to removal.

Does any one known what this Camp Harvey remnant is? June 15, 2024 -Cyndi Bera

In 2024, there is hardly any remnants of Camp Bunyan, Puls Camp or Camp Stanford. Camp Harvey is an entirely different story. Fruit Growers had  an agreement with Shasta Forest, who managed the property for the heirs of the Red River Lumber Company, that they could take their time in removing the structures–the agreement stated they had up to 1967. Most all of the logging cabins and related structures were removed in 1952. It was mutually agreed to keep the water tank tower with its 10,000 gallon redwood water tank, along with the pumping house and pipes in place for fire protection.

Another 2024 Camp Harvey remnant, June 15, 2024-Cyndi Bera

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History

Susanville’s Fruit Growers Townsite

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A family residential section of Fruit Growers, 1921—Ed Standard

In 1919, when Fruit Growers Supply Company planned to build a mill at Susanville, they saw many benefits. Instead of the situation they had at Hilt, a company town they inherited.  They felt confident that Susanville entrepreneurs would fill void, especially when it came it to housing. Nothing went according to plan. First of all, Fruit Growers hired 1500 men, the majority with families, which that figure was larger than the population of Susanville.

Fruit Growers dormitories, 1921–Ed Standard

Fruit Growers had to go plan B and build affordable housing for its employees. A residential district, Fruit Growers Townsite was laid out to the west of the plant. Half the townsite contained 80 cottages, the other half dormitories and apartments. It cost Fruit Growers $245,000 to build the housing project. While Fruit Growers is gone today, many of these buildings remain. Another item are the street names, a legacy of the state’s citrus landscape—Sunkist, Monrovia, Upland, Orange, Limoneira to name a few.

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History

Logging Camp Remnants

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Camp B. Courtesy of Fruit Growers Supply Company

This is first part of a three part series examining logging camp remnants. Today, we will focus on Fruit Growers Camp B and C. These camps operated during the early to mid-1920s in the Martin Springs vicinity, north and east of McCoy Flat Reservoir. Both were substantial camps comprising some 250 men. Camp C boasted a boxing arena that seated 500 people!

Camp C, no date. Courtesyof Lenala Martin Collection

Today, there is plenty of remnants at Camp B. Among those are the concrete foundations of the commissary and cookhouse. Though it’s been some time since I last visited. the railroad service pits were somewhat in tact. There is scattered debris in the area, and I even found an old pocket watch.  Camp C is just the opposite. Without any remnants or any other tell tale signs it is difficult to locate. Why the difference? Camp B is located on land owned by Fruit Growers. Camp C was on land owned by the forest service, the latter required the site to be cleaned up after no longer in use.

Next up the examination of the Harvey line that had four camps–Bunyan, Puls Harvey and Stanford.

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History

Fruit Growers Railroad Map

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Fruit Growers Railroad logging map 1920-1952

After the logging season of 1952 ended, Fruit Growers discontinued  railroad logging.  In the Hazard Reduction of the Pine Creek Unit timber sale with the forest service in 1936, stated that all existing railroad grades be converted into roads,  once the steel and ties were removed. In 1952 Fruit Growers had 48 miles of railroad line. A total conversion would be excessive. To rectify the difference Fruit Growers and the Forest Service conducted a joint field survey–the parties agreed upon the conversion of fifteen miles instead of the original 48. Fruit Growers agreed to maintain the roads for ten years after the timber sale.

It was one of those days, that I had a lapse of better judgment should have, but did not take a picture of Shay’s Hole. However, about a mile down the road, we stopped to take pictures of these old railroad ties still in place.

Tim

History

Fruit Growers Departs Westwood

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A view of Westwood with Keddie Ridge in the background, 1955.

Truth be known when Red River put its mill plant and town on the market in the early 1940s, no one wanted it. Some of the factors were an aging mill facility and majority of the tributary timber depleted. There was also the major headache of operating a town. It was not until Red River sweetened the proposition with the Burney Tract that contained an estimated one billion board feet of timber that made it more attractive. Reluctantly, Fruit Growers Supply Company succumbed and made the purchase.

Major changes were on the horizon and the universal adoption of the cardboard box changed the way Fruit Growers business operations in the future. On August 25, 1955 Fruit Growers announced it would  shut down the Westwood plant. Since it appeared there was not market for the mill, Fruit Growers sold everything the following year to a liquidator Wershow and Weiz of Los Angeles. For Fruit Growers one of its greatest relief it no longer had the complicated burden of maintaining a town.

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History

Riverside Park Turns 100

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Story Club, 1924. Courtesy of Lola L. Tanner

When Fruit Growers Supply Company accidentally became owner of a sawmill and town at Hilt, Sisikiyou, County, it was a major learning curve. One lesson they learned early on, you treat your employees well and they in turn do the same for company. Recreation amenities for Fruit Growers employees was deemed essential. By offering such, the company recouped its investment by reduced employee turnover.

In 1922, Fruit Growers constructed a three-story recreational facility known as the Story Club. In July 1924,  on the on the north side of the Story Club and adjacent to Riverside Drive they built a public park complete with a children’s playground, the first in Susanville. When the Story Club was destroyed by fire in 1944, the company decided not to rebuild since there were a variety of recreational outlets in Susanville. However, not to let the vacant space go to waste, they expanded the park.

In 1963, Fruit Growers sold its mill properties, which included the park, to Eagle Lake Lumber Company. Prior to the sale, the City of Susanville, agreed to take care of the park’s maintenance, since the public had use when it was created.  In 1976, A.A. “Red” Emmerson, president of Sierra Pacific Industries, of which the Eagle Lumber Company was a division, offered the park to the City for $23,000. It had recently been appraised at $45,000. The City accepted the offer and by end of the year the deal consummated.

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History

FGS Photographer—O.O. Winn

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Fruit Growers Susanville mill under construction, 1921–Ed Standard

In 1920, Fruit Growers Supply Company hired photographer O.O. Winn for a two year period to capture on film the construction of its Susanville plant. Interesting, when I examined Fruit Growers’ archives in Studio City back in 1997, they only had a handful of these photographs. It should be noted, Frances Johnson, was meticulous with company’s paper files, but alas the photograph collection was in shambles.

A Fruit Growers log cabin under construction at Eagle Lake, 1920—Ed Standard

A strange development occurred in 1998 when I was away to visit my grandfather John Tanner’s only living first cousin in Cornwall, England. When I returned home there was a small package containing some 700 negatives of Winn’s negatives. It turns out, that Ed Standard, who worked for Fruit Growers, was delegated of task of cleaning the Susanville office in 1963 prior to the sale.  He was instructed to take the negatives to the burner to be destroyed, but took them home instead. My dear friend, the late Hank Martinez, made prints of selective negatives that I chose, the collection was to overwhelming. Fast forward to 2024, a volunteer is scanning many of the negatives into positives. So over the next few months you know why an abundance of Fruit Growers photographs.

Tim

 

History

Fruit Growers Logging Camp No. 9

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Camp E, FGS Company—Lola Tanner

In a ten-year period between 1920-29 Fruit Growers Supply Company established 10 logging camps west of Eagle Lake. Many of these camps were substantial in size, housing over 200 men. There were several smaller camps that only existed for a single season. These small camps differed from their counterparts as they had wooden canvas tests, whereas the others were actual cabins, that could be placed on rail cars to move from one place to the next.

Camp A
Camp A, Fruit Growers Supply Company, located just north of McCoy Flat Reservoir, 1921

Camp 9, located a few miles west of Camp 8, also known as Summit Camp operated during the 1928 logging season. It was not a full fledged logging camp, and it only housed timber fallers.

A Fruit Growers canvass tent, 1920–Ed Standard

Tim