A Visit to California by Eastern Horticulturalists - 1870

"Brief Notes"? Are there long notes?

The summer after the Transcontinental Railroad reached the San Francisco Bay, these esteemed horticulturalists (and ladies) visited California: Marshal P. Wilder, Charles Downing, George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry.

The May 6, 1869 ceremony in Promontory, Utah celebrated the joining of East to West, ending in Sacramento. But travelers had to travel the rest of the way to San Francisco by boat from Sacramento.

Less celebrated was the first through train on the Western Pacific Road to the San Francisco Bay on September 6, 1869. The first train arrive in Alameda on that day and then two months later to Oakland. Niles station was not even a year old yet in June 1870.

These famous horticulturalists made the trip during the next growing season. They arrived on June 20 in San Francisco. Did they take the ferry from Sacramento? Or the train to Alameda then a ferry to SF?

They travelled all over the Bay Area visiting nurseries and orchards. They visited the counties of the San Francisco Bay (San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, and Sonoma). They visited Sacramento and the Big Trees.

Fruit Growers' Conventions 1881-1921

The Proceedings of the Fruit Growers' Convention make for interesting reading. The conversations were captured and recorded for posterity. Jokes, anecdotes, and tones of voices can be read again many years later. It's like you were there.

• 1881 Sacramento, Dec. 6, 1881
• 1882 Nov. 1882
• 1886 6th, Sacramento, Nov. 15, 1886 
• 1889, 10th, Chico, CA, Nov 20-23: Bulletin
• 1894 18th, Sacramento, Nov. 20-23:
• 1895, 19th, Sacramento, CA, Nov. 5-8:
  note in 1895 "20th, 21st, 22d, 23d have never been published"

• 1901, 26th, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 3-6:
• 1902, 27th, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 2-5: 
• 1903 28th, Los Angeles, May 5-8
• 1904 (other, and), 29th, Fresno, CA, Dec. 8-11:
• ?1905  xx Santa Rosa, CA: Roeding (fig and Burbank anecdotes), Rixford, Maslin, Wickson, Irish, Hecke, Shields on Chinese labor, 
• 1905 31st, Santa Rosa, Dec. 5-: ("See 32nd report in Horticultural Report 1905-1906")
• 1907 (other) 33rd, Marysville, CA, Dec. 3-7:
• 1908, 34th, Riverside, CA, Apr. 28-May 1: 
• 1908 (Other), 35th, Sacramento, CA, Dec 1-4: 
• 1909  (other) 36th, Watsonville, CA, Dec 7-10: 
• 1910 (other, and), 37th, Pomona, CA, Sept 13-14:
• 1910 (other) 38th, Stockton, Dec. 6-9:
• 1911 (other) 40th, Santa Rosa, CA, Dec. 19-21: Roeding (pests, berries), Burbank (cactus, "wizard"), Chinese/Japanese/pear blight, 
• 1912 41st, Santa Barbara, June 12-14: 
• 1915 (other, and) 47th, Visalia, Nov. 18-20: 
• 1916 48th, San Bernardino in conjunction with National Orange Show, Feb. 18-19:
• 1917 50th, Sacramento, Nov. 21-23:
• 1918 51st, Riverside, May 28-29:
• 1919 52nd, Chico, CA, Nov 10-15: 
• 1920 53rd, Fresno, CA, Nov. 9-12:
• 1921 54th, Los Angeles, Oct. 24-26:

Other interesting publications

California Fruit Growers' Recipes: Culinary and Toilet, Lemons

National Convention of Fruit Growers

• 1848 New York City
• 1849 2nd, 

The Pioneer Horticultural Society, 1853, Santa Clara Valley

The meeting of the Pioneer Horticultural Society was on August 13, 1853 under a large live-oak, belonging to L. Prevost. Here is an account from The History of Santa Clara County (1881):

"The following interesting history of this association, from the pen of Colonel Younger, is extracted from The Pioneer of June 8, 1878:  "This society has assumed such proportions in her real estate, and in her exhibitions in the various departments, as to challenge the admiration of the citizens of the Pacific coast. Her history of small beginnings, the energy of her pioneers to organize at once, to experiment and develop the resources of this, then a new and undeveloped country, ought to be of interest to those citizens who have located recently in the valley, under more favorable circumstances. The pioneer meeting which was the germ of this society, was held August 13, 1853, under a large live-oak, in what is now known as the Live-oak Park, then belonging to L. Prevost. The meeting was composed of William Daniels, L. Prevost, L. Pillia, J. R. Bontemps, B. S. Fox, and E.W. Case. It was held for the purpose of organizing the Pioneer Horticultural Society, which they did. The subsequent meetings were held at the old City Hall. This little band was strengthened by such men as Joseph Aram, J. Q. A. Ballou, R. G. Moody, Judge D. Devine, L. A. Gould, Thomas Fallon, John Lewelling of Alameda county, and some others. During the balance of this year and the year 1854, they met once a month; brought in their fruits and flowers for exhibition, to compare and discuss the merits, and determine what fruits were best adapted to the valley. This was often most interesting and instructive. All were invited to attend, and many were enticed to those meetings to see the development of the fruit-growing capacity of the valley. Many ladies attended and were richly rewarded, for after witnessing the display of fruits and flowers, at the conclusion these were divided among them. The old pioneers knew how to be gallant to the ladies! These exhibitions soon excited the agriculturists to action. We shall soon see a union of these two interests, and follow them in their tedious states to the formation of this society, under an Act of the Legislature in 1859."

The History of Santa Clara County (1881) reports on the origins of the Santa Clara Valley Agricultural Society.

The first fairgrounds were described in the p. 504

Location of fairgrounds, 1876
San Jose, 1st Ward,
Thompson and West
Georeferenced on David Rumsey

History of Santa Clara County, California
Meeting of Pioneer Horticulturists, 1892
History of Santa Clara County

History