The preservation of the Armstrong Redwoods in Guerneville

Annals of Horticulture in North America
 for the Years 1889-1893

News in the nation in 1892

Big news in L.H. Bailey's Annals of Horticulture in North America..."A botanic garden for the preservation of California red woods has been established during the year by the donation in trust of 640 acres of red wood timber land in Sonoma county by Col JB Armstrong of Santa Rosa The tract is on the north bank of the Russian river The timber is in a good state of preservation The trustees of the garden are Miss Kate Armstrong daughter of the donor. E J Wickson, Charles H Shinn, Luther Burbank, and Robert U Johnson."

But was this premature news?

The Gnome-Mobile and Armstrong Redwoods and the Shinns

 [No pics to avoid problems :O) ]

SOMEWHERE...while searching for the Shinn family's connection with the Armstrong Redwoods in Guerneville, I ran into a reference to the 1967 Disney movie, the Gnome-mobile. Being a fan of the Shinns and gnomes and the redwoods and vintage Disney, I had to find the movie.  

The original book, The Gnomobile: A Gnice Gnew Gnarrative with Gnonsense but Gnothing Gnaughty  was written in 1936 by Upton Sinclair !

The Walt Disney Museum wrote  "Celebrating 50 Years of Riding Along in the Gnome-Mobile" with the background. Upton Sinclair asked Walt to feature the Gnomobile in 1937 and he finally made a movie in 1967. But what inspired Sinclair to write the book in the first place? Kids? Grandkids? What was happening with lumbering in 1937? 

The Late James Shinn

From Pacific Rural Press, Volume 52, Number 20, 14 November 1896, is the obituary of James Shinn.

The Late James Shinn

A name which has an enduring place in the horticultural history of California is that of James Shinn, who died on his farm near Niles, Alameda county, Thursday, October 29, in his ninetieth year. Mr. Shinn was so widely known among the older readers of the Rural Press, and was so highly esteemed for his horticultural work and for the worth and graces of his character, that we are sure a sketch of his life will be welcomed in Rural circles.

Who was the Father of Palms in California?

Where did the statement that John Rock was the "Father of Palms in California" come from? Looks like here and has no references? "Rock is considered the "Father" of palm cultivation in California." 

This is the only place that I've ever heard this. And it doesn't ring true without any supporting docs. Maybe he was the grandson or great-grandson, but not the father.

"Niles Celebrity" - actor William Thorne - I am Batman!

From the 1946 Spanish language catalog

Who is the mystery man in the sombrero?

He is William L. Thorne, AKA "Uncle Bill" to the Roeding family, and part-time Niles resident.

William Thorne (1878-1948) was Elizabeth Thorne's brother.  That's George C. Roeding's wife, Elizabeth, and George C. Roeding Jr.'s "Uncle Bill."

Here are some scraps and bits from his life in an attempt to get the whole picture of his life. Always updated and fact-checked.

Victorian Gardens in the Washington Township

So what was a Victorian garden in the Washington Township? Where would they have gotten their plants? 

The mission gardens and orchards would have been a source of plant materials before the nurseries. E.J. Wickson wrote about the nurserymen in the 1850s to 1910. Until the first nurseries in the Washington Township, there were nurseries in San Jose. 

Luckily we had a local prolific writer, Charles Howard Shinn, who wrote about the old gardens of the area. He was editor for the California Horticulturalist and floral magazine for a couple of years (Check his wikipedia article for many more articles). 

The Shinn family had a nursery in the 1870s and 1880s and you can check out their "Shinn's Nurseries" catalog. They list the roses, ornamentals, and flowers that you could buy along with the fruit trees. They imported many plants from Japan.

Rock's Nurseries in San Jose was in business from 1865 to the late 1880s or 1890s. Pioneer nurseryman B.S. Fox was Rock's neighbor. (catalogs not online but available) Rock and his partners opened the California Nursery in 1884 and the California Nursery catalogs can be found online.