William Wolfskill
Encyclopedia
William Wolfskill was a cowboy
and agronomist
from Los Angeles
, California
, who was highly influential in the development of California's agricultural industry in the 19th century.
, which quickly became the most popular juice orange in America and led to the naming of Orange County, California
.
, in September 1830. The party was a “dream team” of mountain men that included Jedediah Smith
, the first American to cross the Sierra into California in the 1820s, Kit Carson
and George C. Yount
. When they arrived in Southern California in early 1831, Wolfskill and Yount went on to the coast to hunt sea otter. Wolfskill eventually returned to Southern California, and Yount decided to go north, and the two parted company.
Wolfskill took advantage of the Mexican land ownership laws and became a pioneer of viticulture in Southern California. After acquiring land from the Mexican government where downtown Los Angeles
now stands, he began growing grapevines. He eventually planted 32,000 vines on a 48 acre vineyard. Initially, he planted mission vines, but he experimented with other varietals later. At his death in 1866, he was producing 50,000 gallons of wine a year. He was, by far, the greatest producer of table grapes in California during the Mexican era and has been named by historians as one of the three most important men in the history of California viticulture. Wolfskill’s neighbor, friend and business rival in the tiny pueblo of Los Angeles, was the French immigrant Jean-Louis Vignes
.
He was one of the wealthiest men in Southern California for his time, and owned large tracts of land throughout Southern California which were used for everything from sheep grazing to orange groves.
Wolfskill is credited with starting the commercial citrus industry by selling a shipload of lemons to the gold miners for up to $1 a piece and shipping oranges the following year. He is also credited with building the first schooner
in California.
Early California settler John Bidwell
includes him in his recollection of people he knew in early Mexican Los Angeles
: "Los Angeles I first saw in March, 1845. It then had probably two hundred and fifty people, of whom I recall Don Abel Stearns, John Temple, Captain Alexander Bell, William Wolfskill, Lemuel Carpenter
, David W. Alexander; also of Mexicans, Pio Pico
(governor), Don Juan Bandini
, and others".
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
and agronomist
Agronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, who was highly influential in the development of California's agricultural industry in the 19th century.
Valencia orange
Arguably his greatest contribution to agriculture was the Valencia orangeValencia orange
The Valencia Orange is a sweet orange first hybridized by California pioneer agronomist and land developer William Wolfskill, on his farm in Santa Ana in southern California in the United States. -History:...
, which quickly became the most popular juice orange in America and led to the naming of Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
.
History
Wolfskill and his party left Taos, New MexicoTaos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
, in September 1830. The party was a “dream team” of mountain men that included Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Strong Smith was a hunter, trapper, fur trader, trailblazer, author, cartographer, cattleman, and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the American West Coast and the Southwest during the 19th century...
, the first American to cross the Sierra into California in the 1820s, Kit Carson
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
and George C. Yount
George C. Yount
George Calvert Yount was a trapper in William Wolfskill's party from New Mexico and came to California in 1831. He was the first Euro-American permanent settler in the Napa Valley, where he was the grantee of two Mexican land grants. Yountville, California is named for him.-Biography:George C...
. When they arrived in Southern California in early 1831, Wolfskill and Yount went on to the coast to hunt sea otter. Wolfskill eventually returned to Southern California, and Yount decided to go north, and the two parted company.
Wolfskill took advantage of the Mexican land ownership laws and became a pioneer of viticulture in Southern California. After acquiring land from the Mexican government where downtown Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
now stands, he began growing grapevines. He eventually planted 32,000 vines on a 48 acre vineyard. Initially, he planted mission vines, but he experimented with other varietals later. At his death in 1866, he was producing 50,000 gallons of wine a year. He was, by far, the greatest producer of table grapes in California during the Mexican era and has been named by historians as one of the three most important men in the history of California viticulture. Wolfskill’s neighbor, friend and business rival in the tiny pueblo of Los Angeles, was the French immigrant Jean-Louis Vignes
Jean-Louis Vignes
Jean-Louis Vignes , or as he was known to his Mexican neighbors, "Don Luis del Aliso", was a French settler to the Los Angeles area during the Mexican era. He was the first commercial wine maker in California and one of the first men to import and plant European Vitis vinifera grapes in the state...
.
He was one of the wealthiest men in Southern California for his time, and owned large tracts of land throughout Southern California which were used for everything from sheep grazing to orange groves.
Wolfskill is credited with starting the commercial citrus industry by selling a shipload of lemons to the gold miners for up to $1 a piece and shipping oranges the following year. He is also credited with building the first schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
in California.
Early California settler John Bidwell
John Bidwell
John Bidwell was known throughout California and across the nation as an important pioneer, farmer, soldier, statesman, politician, prohibitionist and philanthropist...
includes him in his recollection of people he knew in early Mexican Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
: "Los Angeles I first saw in March, 1845. It then had probably two hundred and fifty people, of whom I recall Don Abel Stearns, John Temple, Captain Alexander Bell, William Wolfskill, Lemuel Carpenter
Lemuel Carpenter
Lemuel Carpenter, was one of the first Anglo-American settlers of what is now the Los Angeles, California metropolitan area.-Early life:Lemuel Carpenter was born ca. 1808 in Kentucky...
, David W. Alexander; also of Mexicans, Pio Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
(governor), Don Juan Bandini
Juan Bandini
Juan Bandini was an early settler of what would become San Diego, California.-Early history:Juan Bandini was born 1800 in Lima, Peru to José Bandini, a Spanish sea captain. His father came to California in 1819 and 1821 and participated in the Mexican War of Independence...
, and others".