California Nursery Company

The California Nursery Company was established in Niles, California, and incorporated in 1884 by John Rock, R.D. Fox, and others.[1][2] The nursery sold fruit trees, nut trees, ornamental shrubs and trees, and roses. It was responsible for introducing new hybrids created by such important West Coast breeders as Luther Burbank and Albert Etter.

John Rock of San Jose and the California Nursery Company
Workers at California Nursery Company, Niles, California, now a district in Fremont, California, 1890s

History

John Rock was born Johannes Rock in Germany, on August 19, 1838. He immigrated to the United States in 1852 and fought on the Union side in the Civil War before settling in California in 1863.[3]

"Rock's Nurseries" in San Jose

John Rock had two nursery locations in San Jose, California, on Coyote Creek. The catalog for "Rock's Nurseries" for 1885 says that John Rock had 19 years of experience in California, putting the date of establishment at around 1865. Rock's Nurseries continued on some time after the establishment of the California Nursery Company. The San Jose City Directory for 1887 has advertisements for both the "California Nursery Company" in Niles and "Rock's Nurseries" in San Jose.[4] There was a "Rock's Nurseries" catalog for 1888. Andrew P. Hill took photos of Rock's Nurseries[5] and the California Nursery Company in Niles.

The San Jose Weekly Mercury[6] reported on Rock's Nurseries in 1883, about a year before the California Nursery Company was established in Niles.

The California Nursery Company in Niles

In 1884, the California Nursery Company was established in Niles, California (now a district in Fremont).[7][8]

The year 1865 is often cited for the establishment of the California Nursery Company and has caused much confusion. Charles Burr, a longtime employee of the nursery said in 1970 that 1865 was "used as the beginning date of the California Nursery for purposes of anniversaries."[9] The date of 1865 is the establishment of "Rock's Nurseries" in San Jose, not the California Nursery Company. Sometime around the 1906-1907 catalog, the words "Established 1865" were added to the front cover along with "Incorporated 1884"[10] and it was carried forward.

At first, the nursery was a wholesaler providing grape vines, roses, ornamentals, and fruit trees to California's growing agricultural industry. Early on it supplied plants for the Palo Alto estate of California tycoon Leland Stanford. Later, in addition to its wholesale business, the nursery started a retail operation with ornamental trees and plants for homes and gardens.

John Rock was interested in creating new plant hybrids and worked with West Coast plant breeders like Luther Burbank. His 1888 catalog[11] featured some 500 varieties of fruit trees, 700 ornamental shrubs, and 270 roses. By the time Rock died, his nursery had introduced more new plant varieties to California than any other.[3]

After Rock's death in 1904, the nursery was managed by W.V. Eberly.[12] William J. Landers, insurance man, was associated with the nursery since its beginning. He was President at his death from "Nervous Prostration" in 1908, which he had suffered from since the 1906 fire in San Francisco.[13]

The California Nursery Company and World's Fairs

The California Nursery Company provided trees and other plants at many world's fairs. Some are:

The California Nursery Company under the Roeding family

The Nursery under George C. Roeding

In 1917, the nursery was bought by George C. Roeding, owner of Fancher Creek in Fresno[2][14] and other operations.

The Nursery under George C. Roeding, Jr.

Roeding's son, George C. Roeding, Jr. took over management of the nurseries in 1926. George C. Roeding died in 1928.

In 1940, the northern California plant breeder Albert Etter began a partnership with the CNC with the goal of patenting and then marketing Etter's best apple varieties. The CNC introduced six Etter varieties in its 1945 catalog, including Pink Pearl.[15] A seventh variety was introduced later.

The CNC ultimately became the largest firm of its kind west of the Rockies.[2] It was located close enough to the San Francisco Bay Area that it became a destination for gardeners and horticulturists.

From 1932 to the mid-1960s, the California Nursery hosted annual bulb shows in spring that could draw up to 5000 visitors over a weekend.[2] Frances Baldwin Roeding, wife of George C. Roeding, Jr. helped plan the annual bulb shows.[16] In the summer, the nursery held rose shows.

Articles by George C. Roeding, Jr.:

  • "Planting for Homes Most Important" 21 April 1932[17]
  • "Rose Show to be Held at Niles Saturday and Sunday" 19 June 1932[18]
  • "Narcissus Bulbs Now Ready for Spring Gardens" 18 September 1932[19]
  • "New Crop of Roses are Ready for Eastbay Gardens" 4 December 1932[20]
  • "Jonquils and Daffodils Provide March Gardens" 19 March 1933[21]

Articles about the History of the California Nursery Company

Articles in the Tri-City Voice:

  • "California Nursery Historical Park: Horticultural History" January 14, 2020 [22]
  • "Fremont's Floral Treasure: The Display Gardens" January 28, 2020 [23]
  • "Preserving History, the Environment, Wildlife February 11, 2020 [24]
  • "An Historical Archive in the California Nursery Office" March 24, 2020 [25]
  • "California Nursery: The Packing Shed" April 7, 2020 [26]
  • "California Nursery: The Garden Store" May 5, 2020 [27]
  • "California Nursery: Roeding Family House" May 19, 2020 [28]
  • "California Nursery: The Boxed Oak Trees" June 23, 2020 [29]

Articles in journals relating to the California Nursery Company:

  • "The California Nursery: A History" by Charles J. Burr[9] 1970; Burr was a longtime employee of the nursery
  • "Nursery Order for the Avenue of Palms"[30] 2015; The nursery provided palms and other plants for the Panama-Pacific International Expostion.
  • "The Reluctant Railway Gardener: Johannes Reimers and the Depot Landscapes of the Santa Fe Railroad"[31] Winter 2018; Johannes Reimers designed the Old Adobe Garden at the California Nursery in Niles and worked with the Roeding family on various projects.
  • "Albert Etter: Humboldt County's Horticultural Genius" [32]
  • "The California Nursery Company Archives: Far and Wide"[33]

California Nursery Historical Park

After 1972, some of the former nursery grounds were turned into a Fremont city park, the California Nursery Historic Park,[34] although the family continued to lease out some land to other nurseries.[3] The California Nursery Garden Club [35] (under various names) has taken care of the gardens surrounding the nursery office since 1994, along with the City of Fremont and the Math / Science Nucleus

See also

Catalogs

Catalogs for the California Nursery Company and Fancher Creek Nurseries can be found in these collections:

References
  1. California Nursery Co; Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection (1888). Price list of fruit and ornamental trees small fruits, evergreens, roses etc. National Agricultural Library U. S. Department of Agriculture. Niles, Calif. : California Nursery Company. pp. 1.
  2. California Nursery Company, company website
  3. Cain, Julie. "History: California Nursery under John Rock". California Nursery Historical Park website.
  4. "1887 San Jose City Directory :: San Jose City Directories - Business Classified Sections (SJPL California Room)". digitalcollections.sjlibrary.org. p. x,xx. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  5. Hill, Andrew P. ""California Nursery at Niles"; History San Jose – Collecting, preserving and celebrating the Santa Clara Valley". Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  6. "OUR BONANZA. GROWTH OF THE FRUIT INTEREST OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY. Immense Tracts of New Orchards— Who Supplied the Trees-A Progressive Nursery; San Jose weekly Mercury 27 December 1883 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. p. 6. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  7. "Pacific Rural Press 27 November 1886 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  8. "The Nursery Business; Pacific Rural Press 14 April 1888 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  9. Burr, Charles J. (October 1970). "The California Nursery: A History". Pacific Horticulture.
  10. Catalogue and price list of the California Nursery Co. 1906-1907. Sonoma County Wine Library.CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. California Nursery Co; Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection (1888). Price list of fruit and ornamental trees small fruits, evergreens, roses etc. National Agricultural Library U. S. Department of Agriculture. Niles, Calif. : California Nursery Company.
  12. California Nursery Co; Landers, Wm J.; Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection (1904). Catalogue and price-list. fruit and ornamental trees, evergreens, palms, roses, etc., 1904-1905. National Agricultural Library U. S. Department of Agriculture. Niles, Calif. : California Nursery Company.
  13. "San Francisco Call 6 February 1908 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  14. Kruckeberg, Henry W. (1930). George Christian Roeding; A Tribute. The Kruckeberg Press.
  15. "The Ettersburg Apple Legacies". Greenmantle Nursery website
  16. "Francis Baldwin Roeding Obituary". The San Francisco Examiner. 1995-05-31. p. 13. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  17. "Oakland Tribune 21 April 1932 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  18. "Oakland Tribune 19 June 1932 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  19. "Oakland Tribune 18 September 1932 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  20. "Oakland Tribune 4 December 1932 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  21. "Oakland Tribune 19 March 1933 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  22. "01-14-20 | Tri-City Voice". p. 36. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  23. "01-28-20 | Tri-City Voice". p. 12. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  24. "02-11-20 | Tri-City Voice". p. 1. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  25. "03-24-20 | Tri-City Voice". p. 11. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  26. "04-07-20 | Tri-City Voice". 5. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  27. "05-05-20 | Tri-City Voice". p. 7. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  28. "05-19-20 | Tri-City Voice". Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  29. "06-23-20 | Tri-City Voice". p. 12. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  30. Barton, Janet. ""Nursery Order for the Avenue of Palms"" (PDF). California Garden & Landscape History Society. 18:3: 14–15.
  31. Laws, David (Winter 2018). "The Reluctant Railway Gardener; Johannes Reimers and the Depot Landscapes of the Santa Fe Railroad" (PDF). Eden; Journal of the California Garden & Landscape History Society. 21:1: 12–21.
  32. Hart, Tom (Winter 2021). "Albert Etter: Humboldt County's Horticultural Genius" (PDF). Eden: Journal of the California Garden & Landscape History Society. 24:1: 4–23.
  33. Barton, Janet (Winter 2021). "The California Nursery Company Archives: Far and Wide" (PDF). Eden: Journal of the California Garden & Landscape History Society. 24:1: 24–33.
  34. "California Nursery Historical Park | City of Fremont Official Website". www.fremont.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  35. "California Nursery Garden Club". California Nursery Garden Club.
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