Alexander Valley rancher Fred Scherrer, interviewed by William Heintz, Oct. 28, 1978

I think I'll leave the Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you know what today is today? What is the date today? Dave. Do you know what day it is today? Today? October 27 78. Okay. Today is way well, would it be better that way I okay, maybe I

could sit right beside him then and you can sit over there. Well, I have to wait and get up. I have a fracture here. Takes me a while to get up. Okay, mm hmm. Today is October 27. I think your daughter said 1978. It's Friday. I'm

in alexander valley. I'm at the home of fred C sheer. How do you spell your last name? S C H E R E R fred share. That's th that's right. S C H E R E R. Okay. All right, Okay. Yeah. What is this for? Mhm.

Mhm. Okay. Okay. Okay. I'm a school chiefs and I like to know why this is my whole No, no you can, I think it's fine right there. Oh, my name is William Heights. And the other person on the tape today is mrs sheer. Could you tell

me your first name? Bernice? Bernice Mr shearer. Can you give me a date that you were born? Stay? I was born? Yeah, january 20th, 18 91. And where were you born? Down by Windsor so you're a native California California? Yeah. And mrs sheer. Where were you

born? Silver plume colorado. And what date october 22nd, 18 96. When did you come to California? When I was two years old? What was your parents made a name? My mother's was mary Grace Row and my dad was William thomas. Well R. O. W. E. So

you were a row girl? Do you? Did I What year did you come to California? Did I ask you that would be a 94 wouldn't it 98. Did they settle here? In the valley? No we went to Sonora to all my county. That was a minor

head of the mind. Then he passed away and then we went down orange. Then we came to santa rosa. And what year did you make it to santa rosa? 1910. What year did you meet? Mr shear then. Hello 1920 Or that we were married in 191922.

I taught in santa rosa at that time. My parents were married in 22 when we were married. 30 July gee high pitched. Huh? Well the machine is a little off in its sound now that we're making sure we're recording. All right. I don't want to get

through an hour's visit with you and found out find out that it wasn't functioning properly. That's right. Mrs share whenever you can help on a date or or anything like that. Please feel free to participate because sometimes dates aren't easy to remember. He's got a better

memory than I have right now. You were born in 1891 at Windsor How many years did you live there? Well everything about About eight years between eight million years B nine years ago you came here 19 we moved up here in 1900. See maybe nine years.

Yeah. Mhm. We're at on this property. Yeah. You mean you've been living on this property 78 years. Yeah. You've seen a few changes in alexander valley in those years. If you were born in 1891 and you moved here in 1900, you were 89 years old. nine.

Where did you go to school down here? At the alexander school? Well, there was a full house used to be there right opposite soda rock, right opposite the. Sure, I think it was built in 1886. What was at that corner when you came here in 1900.

Do you recall what other buildings and businesses were there? No, there wasn't, there was just a house across that. There were many wineries there and retain. No, but wasn't there a store or a blacksmith shop or? Yeah, that's Jim Town. No, that's further down. No. No.

Right where the school is, Well there was a post office there when you arrived. Right, well yeah, there was a Roadhouse that uh but the post office when we came here it was a good your story is but it had been there originally. Right, yeah. There

had been a post office where the roadhouses? Yeah, I think there might have been there with the Roadhouse. That was before my time. What was in the Roadhouse when you arrived? Well that was a closed up by the time when we came here. It was kind

of a stage play, sir. Were there no other business is there at the time? There was no store at the Roadhouse. No there no, there wasn't a blacksmith shop down here already. It had moved to a gradual story was there was a story there. Jim Patrick

has it. And he had a little store. They're hurting every little thing. Just this side there was a blacksmith shop, Harrington's. How is him? Well, no, he moved in there later. He came later when we came here. A fellow by the name of Charles Wilson had

Charles Wilson was the blacksmith. All right, let's go back To the corner of Soda Rock Lane and Highway 1 28. There's a house there now. Was there a house there when you moved there? That was kind of a Roadhouse there. I think it might not the

stage usually stop those sometimes. What was in it when you what was in the building? Can you remember when you were a child? It was kind of a low building. Not very good. It's gone though. Oh yeah they talk down 19 about 19 five or six.

Yeah. My name is tom thomas, both 85 acres from this ranch here. This one seems to be a big ranch. All right, keep on. Yeah. And he bought that piece that he brought that little piece across the road to the sort of rock wineries. All right,

When he bought that about 195 or six, she said he thought he bought in the same year. We bought ours here in 1900. Yeah, Because the bank had the place that's covered up in three pieces. We've got 75 acres. And now I'm building a chick would

had 50 acres down here with the Bosnians houses. Tommy had a long maybe five because by the big vendors across the road, who was the original owner? Who was the original owner of this property? That's what we're going to hell before. Well, trouble, trouble. Boys had

trouble. Tr I am blog B. L. A tremble tremble brothers. My brothers had. Yeah. How many acres was in that tremble zone then you would have to add all that up. Okay, what do you own then? What did you, how many acres did you buy? And

how much did chip worth by 50? What was it worth? First named? Even though no roads. And how much did Mr meat by? He had. He had somewhere around about 85 visitors, I think. Maybe you get more or less. I don't know Tommy. Okay, That's 210

acres. So The Tremble Brothers had to about 200 acres here. We have the old granary up here. Still existing. Well, how about the house? The house did you build a house? You know This is the one the oldest house in the valley to tremble, tremble. Brothers

had this house. Who built the house fred who built the house? Oh this part here. Um some fella by the name of walker. Does it walker? Yeah. He built it for alexander. Did alexander ever live in here? No, he never lived there. He built to play

something for. And then they're sold out. We have a big tree out here that alexander planted. Yeah, it goes back a long time. We have a lot of things from this ranch. Let's go back to when you went to school down here. What did they call

the school? Well, alexander Valley School across the road was the road house that Mr Meek bought, there were no other buildings across the road. Just the school house across the road and we're the master and there's that little house. So to claim that house was there

when we get in here, who was living in it, do you know? Well let me see yet at the privilege of working people lived there but it wasn't owned by one person I think if I remember right man by name of Hitler Hicklin. Yes, there have,

do you remember that there was a post office at at that corner, that soda rock and highway 1 28 when I don't remember that post office because if there was before my time. All right Mr Meek bought it, bought 85 acres in 1900. When did he

start building the winery? Well, he must have built that one year long. About uh Should be about 19 6, 19 5, 19 6. Do you ever were you the round as it was being built? I'm not sure. I'd rather inspired by about six, I think about

the time of the earthquake. Can you remember it being built? Can you remember the soda rock winery being built? Yeah, I remember when he built it because it was just a wooden building and he had a driveway, you drove right through the building, so, and then

you touch your boxes and set them off of the line. Ring on the fermenting tanks that had a hand treasurer. Mhm. Well, so the first winery was just a wooden building, just a wooden pallet to big world in balance. No, and he built those in 19

6. You think about 19 6? Because uh I'm glad red wine, 19 4, a couple of brothers that had a little whiner down here where the forks the road is rather santa, rose into Calistoga mulligans. Just to get down the foot of the hill, turned there

was a little little stone wind me there. Who were they? What were their names? Michaelson brothers, microphone brothers, Your father worked for Michaelson. He made one. I won't fall for 194 or so for now that fall Mr Meeks still didn't have his winery. Well, he probably

I don't know whether he had already built or not? For sure. They brought us up. My dad died 195 and the next following year and my cousin lived here with me. But there were a couple of kids, we had to haul our grapes down there and

we had quite a time left in those big boxes up on top of this time for your age because I had two men turning this crushing, they dumped the boxes. Well the men turned the crusher by hand whenever they got a full enough, then they moved

it over. Once kids on the next time they had a platform where the men stood, they only had two men on the cross. It turned pretty hard. That must have taken a powerful man to turn that. Well, there's too many handles. Pretty good because I was

too big. They had to come to slow, you know. What kind of grapes did you haul down there? We had and I understand Caradon and Mission. Mission. Yeah. How many acres have you any idea what those early years that time acres have been here. Oh I

don't think we have more about fire. We only had about five for success. The vineyards were on the ranch when you purchased it, there was no grapes. Just a little bit of a patch here. Otherwise it was all hail and pasture and hay land. Your father

planted the grapes, he planted common stock first. Say he didn't plant resistance and by the time we got the bear and good, the flux are coming in a few years is wiped them out. Did you replant with resistance, tuck the back piece here and pull the

mountain trees there? No hay field with planets and great fighters? What kind of groups did you plant rather? They planted the Zinfandel and federal Sarah's one Block of Our Fantasy. We're the unresisting roots. Were they unresisting roots? Yeah, rope estrus. Yeah. Are they still growing? Oh

yeah, the same vines you planted are still alive. I've got some here. But I planted I think about say 10 12, I think the planet is infantile was about 1911. I'm flattered. Mhm Alex Itis The Next Year, 12. Then the next year I planted some pedal

service over there. How many acres of Allah, Connie? I'm gonna let yourself honey, A little over three acres. What kind of price for the Alicante is did you get in 1922? Well they all run the same price that time. But you've got a pretty good price

in 1922, beginning beginning of prohibition. Oh, 1922. Mhm. That's him. That's only about 1922. Yeah, yeah, we got $100 time. Much straight through. That's good. That was very good. Nobody'd ever gotten that kind of price before. $100 a ton for everything for the reds and the

time. Yeah, then after about that started falling around. Yes. Well question claim. Well no this was prohibition came in 1919 And then everybody wanted to make wine at home? And the price went way up until about 1925. Yeah. And then it fell a little boxes and

shipping, you know? That was awful. Yeah. Uhh At the price buried 11 year I ran $115 a ton for the L. A. County's $90 of Tony for the Zinfandel. $40 a ton for the shadow Sarah's. The Alicante has always brought to higher price. People about they

didn't know any better. They thought that all of china's had that red juice made the best wine. I made a good for paint. That's about all. Mhm. Let's go back to Mr Meeks winery. When did he start building the stone part of it? That's right down

here. Yes. Stone park. When did? Well uh Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. I uhh Mhm. I couldn't tell you the year that he did that. Atomic solo Ferrari and ferrara is Ferrari the one who built the stone. Oh he did. Yeah. But I couldn't tell you that. You're

just what he did it because that's a little far fetched started. Do you think it was before prohibition? Well after prohibition. Mhm. After prohibition. I think so. Mhm. Can you remember the soda rock winery being all wood until when prohibition ended. My first came here. It

was. Have you any idea when Ferrari bought. Yeah. So do rock? Oh I don't know. I couldn't tell you darling. I'll ask her. You could tell jesus Well down that's where we take our groups. Just remember to tell them the time we picked all the grapes

and send them back east and had to pay for it and didn't get a penny for him. Oh I've heard those stories use that to your grapes back east and couldn't sell them. Yeah. Finally someone got writing. You know we never got any writing at one

time. I told them and they were sitting on the platform over there and there was movement. So I'm certificate. I have this. What's the matter is great. It's not moving since the market's going bad. Well as I won't bring any more. Mhm. And this is a,

it suits you suits me because I got a contract. I've got to take them. But I said well I don't bring any more. I don't want to know already. So I'm looking around and so some of them to Macedonia to the winery. I already got $5

coming for him. When you By 1910 you would have been 19 years old. 2019. You lived on the farm. You stayed here and help run the farm. So you kept track of the the grapes and everything ever since you were a young boy. Haven't you? Do

you have other brothers and sisters? No I was the only one. So you took over running the ranch when you were old enough, didn't you? How Long did your mother live? She lived to 94. Mhm. When she was 92, she'd come up from Santa Rosa. Make

German cookies for two weeks. Go down on the bus and take care of her younger sister. Just a little german lady ever saw Somewhere around six days. What? 2068, Grandma dies. Where did you sell your grapes? Let's go back to when you were a young man.

Did you sell some grapes? You told me that you and your cousin would load the grapes and take them down to tom Meek to the soda rock winery. Was it called soda rock? Or was it called Meeks Winery doesn't have any name on it. I was

gonna stop. Just, just made wine and with his I didn't have any sign on it or anything. Okay, now. Well, who else did you sell grapes to? What? He didn't want? One year. I saw them to Tommy and see. And then what you're I went down

there to tell the grips was about ready to pick. And it's those. Listen, fred, All right, I'll tell you something Mazzone over the engrossed in Healdsburg. He's offering $14 a ton today? Says I can buy all the villages I want for $11 a ton. I know

you need the money. So you've got to go in there and see him. If you can get $14 from. I advise you to tell your men there. It's not that I don't want your greatest but I want I want you to get the money. So we

went in there and the followers there and you search up four crowd, you know, I'll give you $14 today. Maybe tomorrow says I'll give you more. Maybe I'll give you less. Mhm. Well I'll take the $14. Okay? Sign the paper. So and there's not very difficult

to come in there. And the first load I brought in when he came out he jumped up on the wilding. I had two horses in the wild. I'll talk about. I got trouble now because he bought some more for $11 a time. He looks on him

pretty good. Yeah. Well he says you got me a good day. Yes. I bought a lot of work. I know cactuses. Your President Graves have no trouble. I got my $14 come. How old were you remember? Well, I don't remember just about teenager. Oh. Mhm. I

must have been before you were married. Right. Oh yeah, a long time before. A long time. Did you did you sell to anybody else? You know I for a few years Mazzoni. Mhm. And after that after prohibition. Let's wait just a minute before prohibition. Before 1919.

Before World War I. Yeah. You only sold your grapes to two people. One was to meet and one was to Mazzone on growth straightens and Healdsburg you didn't sell to anybody else. Yes Michaelson. Did they buy your grapes one year? Yeah California had a one on

the corner out of the red rose by running where the road goes. Pine flat on the corner down here. Red wine we rode. Yes. What was the name of that winery? I don't know where they had a special name but one of the California Wine Association.

Mhm. That was the yeah Chase winery Mr Chaisson Chase when we first came here. Yes with chase finally and it was about 100 acres of vineyard belonged to it. Uh huh. After a year or two uh I know what happened but California. And as I bought

the winery And the property was divided up in about four or 5 x partials. Mhm. Did the did the wine association continue to operate the winery? Yeah. Follow my name. A lot of Microsoft. He took it over. He was his apartment, he was apartment. Well then

they called it the red winery didn't they or something. I don't know whether they have any name for it but the name of the road is red winery road that must have been on the road they call it. The Runner was painted red. Huh. Do you

remember whether that winery kept operating until prohibition. No when prohibition comes by the closed up. But he was operating until prohibition the operated through prohibition. Then when prohibition came right there, California one Close Up. So who else could you have sold your grapes to in this

valley in those years? Anybody besides Michaelson? No, I never thought of that. Who else was making wine in those early years before you and your wife were married before World War II? Who was making wine? Can you remember anybody making wine besides Meek made wine. And

the Michaelson brothers and the California wine. Associate me first came here. There was no one was ever johnson is okay. Well johnson's got the winery. The man who makes the harvesters Wallace, johnson, Tommy, johnson. There was a minor there. That building. He says it was a

winery. Oh, tom tom the brothers of the supervisor. That's right time. There was a winery on the same building they're using now. That same building was a winery in the name of john written? Have a oh, how is it spelled? W H I T T O

N. Yeah. Mhm. You hear me? Mm hmm. I'm trying to, did you never call any grapes down there? Have a vineyard all the way from the winery up to the road at that time it was all common. Start to, you know that's trying to start buying

american and I don't know. It was only a couple of years or so that written so loud And The one We're closed up after you moved here. You mean he closed up in a couple of years, a couple of years after he left. Follow the name

of corn, bought the place and they didn't run the winery. How was cohen spelled? Come on Ceo and CCO AM or C O H E N or S O E agent. He was a jew. That's a juicy O E H N might be better. Okay. Um

Do you ever remember, Yeah, there being a winery called the alexander valley winery about the time you were a young man, mm hmm. In alexander valley winery, alexander I've ever had. Do you do you remember whether Mr Osborne had a winery? No he had no winery.

He had three ranches but he has no winery. There was there was there was a boundary on the lower ranch. Mhm. At one time but he never run it. That was closed up. Solar, solar cooper's out on the lower ranch. What are you talking closer to

stand? Just about just about the forks. The roads are on the right hand side over there. There's a little right now in the ground. Fieldstone trees in the same trees where Fieldstone is now there was a winery in those trees up there fellas government. Of course

I could remember all those tl tl tl I don't know his function. It might just know that. My black hole cooper job for somebody. I don't know where they took her. Thank you. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. T E A. L. Teal winery. It's on the same

spot where johnson put his underground winery johnson. Yeah. The same spot where walt where Mr johnson has his underground winery. Yeah. Uh huh. It wasn't a bad boyfriend. The back was it? Right on in the trees you said? Huh? That's very interesting. Yeah. I'm trying to

think. Did you ever go to them the Michaelson winery? You said your father was the winemaker for them? Where was the Michaelson winery? Right right down the foot of that hill. They're sensitive. Yeah. All right. I want to go back and review something. You didn't get

it on the tape. I want to talk a little bit again about wineries in that in alexander valley before World War One. Mr me Cata winery that's right now. He hasn't sold it yet to Mr Osborne before World War One came along. I don't think addie.

Okay. Mr Meek had what is now the Soto aka anyway the johnson brothers, there was a winery there for a couple of years that Mr Whitten owned Mr thiel when I ran a winery in right near where Wallace johnson has his Fieldstone winery now he's in

the trees right at almost the same spot. Only for a couple of years. Yeah there was how long that a lot of times about time he's been here followed up and you said your father helped haul the coup bridge out of the teal winery then there

was the California wine Association winery over here which was the red winery on red Winery. Wrote that's five wineries and we're only talking before prohibition, that's all. No one else made wine. Go go over. There was one overnight salary. The hood winery blowing the hoods. Hoods

fred meet didn't sell the Osborne didn't filter for a while. He sold his Ferrari. Yeah, I made a mistake there. Um You never sold any grapes too? The Waltons or the geyser Peak winery in Geyserville. Never hold any, no, no, I never holly's enterprise. Different or

to the nervous. No. How bout to Mr Meyer? Mr Myers. Can you remember his little winery? Myers, right next to Nerva was just north of nervo. I don't remember. Your son is right up here bob Myers. I thought my Bill Bill wasn't there a little winery

at Litton Springs at one time. I wouldn't understand. Oh, I know. The only one was the only one over there to see me wondering. Okay, there was a winery in Geyserville, also called the California Wine Association California one is always had a big grinder there. The

same time. They had this one, they had both of them going at the same time. Province of publishing coming. They follow it up. Did did you know many of your neighbors who hauled their grapes say to the California Wine Association in Geyserville for all that might

have been somebody who they are or what is it sonics and tall. There was uh where did sonics, sonics and well, they didn't happen much scraps. They until they hold us down here are calling. We hold him, hold him over to Rome Street afterwards. How about

Sim ease? Cindy has been around for a long time. Didn't you ever sell any to Simi Simi Simi winery? No, se me wondering do you ever sell them grapes? No, I never saw any other. Did any of your neighbors? Yeah. There are some of the neighbors

here hung them. Another thing I didn't see me pay a pretty good price. He always paid about the same professional. Yeah. Use that that I used to figure out the price on grapes. The according to what does the solar wind for? If you build $24, cents

for the line, They figured they could give you $24 a ton. If that's all the wine for 10 cents. You've got $10 a ton. It's hardly worth picking, was it? Oh, I think the whole lot of red spots. 11, $12, $15 a time or so dollar.

Used to buy a lot those days, didn't it? We've got a big for a dollar and a half a ton Now. It's $30 a ton to pick them. Yeah. I've often heard that there were a lot of grape shift over to napa valley and sold over

there. Well that might have been, but I wouldn't know. Well, did you ever hear that before? You got here? That they were sending a lot of grapes over to Alex to the napa valley? Oh yeah, yeah, as far as I know, I, a few of the

old timers that had a few grapes hi, hold on, guys about the right some of the Hall of the Gods. Well, before you arrived here in 1900 In the 1890s, the hillocks are destroyed almost all the vineyards of Napa Valley and they were very hard pushed

to find grapes to keep their wineries going. And I've often heard the story that They bought an awful lot of grapes out of Alexander Valley in the 1890s, but they might have, I wouldn't, but you never heard that story, but I thought I was just a

boy probably didn't pay attention to it. Well, we left Wednesday, The California one Association, Oh, not running your winery the whole up on your ears. That's right, that opens up and we left down there because my dad, we had, when you're down there uses other scrapes

there. Mhm. So can his uncle had a wine, wouldn't you? Uh huh Mhm Okay, okay, mm hmm, Raimond migrant, Yeah. Mhm Yeah, mhm, mhm, mhm Yeah, mhm Yeah, After prohibition in 1933, did people pull out their prunes and put vines back in or do you remember?

No, no, that doesn't. I stepped up until here Just about this last 10 years is from the stock judgment authority, but for groups or something to stop the fruits of influence is pretty good. You know went from this great boom started boy, everybody boatloads of trees

out. Can you remember when prohibition ended? That wasn't so long ago, was it 1933? Prohibition ended? That's right, Prohibition ended in 1933. Yeah. Yeah. We're there anybody who opened a winery up here in the valley after prohibition ended? Well yes, I got such a open down

here for our open. That's what I know you adopted start refreshing. It had been closed and Ferrari built that stone front there then. Mhm. Anybody else who was, There was no other winery here in the valley then for a while soda rock was the only winery,

the only the only one here in the ballot after prohibition ended. Well how long did depth stay the case? Did no. Did anybody open any Like in the early 40s or before World War II? Was there a winery? No. When did the Mosley start? Their new

winery? That's only been a couple years ago. Four years ago Johnsons just opened. There's I'm thinking of right after World War Two. Yeah, after World War Two ended. Where could you sell your down there? Pereira? We sold out there all the time. Did you? And now

now that some of your next to our neighbors. I don't even know the lander is there? They have little winery, a lot of little one that does not every day you see in the paper sometimes it's a permit to build a winery. Okay. You, you said

you could remember Mr Chase as owning part of owning the red winery before the California Wine Association bought it. Mr Chase used to call that stag's leap. I don't know because you know, I was just a boy, but I know the Chase Chase right now, that's

all I know. Did you ever hear that he owned a resort over in napa valley? No, I don't call stag's leap. I know where that is. Very famous old resort has in the early years before prohibition. Wasn't there anybody from the valley here that tried to

get a little notoriety for their wine? Did anybody ever win a medal for their wine like at the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition? Do you remember the 1915 fair in San Francisco? Sure, yeah, sure. Well they had a big wind exhibit there and there were a lot

of gold medals given out. Did anybody in this valley try to get any medals for their wine or anything? I wouldn't know. But there are all right, but nobody had a reputation for it anyway. I don't think so. Yeah. Yeah, because they are, they didn't bottle

away and then they sort of bark when they have a chance to sell it the solvent and barred to have big punches that held about 180's albums on them And I rode about three or 4 punches on the violin And some of them had to violence

four horse teams or two horses even they haul them over to Britain and then load them in carbs. That's right. The ship, the line to have it all out there. But keeping horses, you know, atomic had the runner and disorders rain. My uncle was here. Brothers

used to go down the whole couple of hundreds over the Osbournes. You always have a four horse team And the whole six punches. Didn't Osborne ever make any wine? Huh? Didn't Osborne ever make any wine that I know of during prohibition? Did you make your own

wine here? At the house? Yeah, they always made it down the line. And now you don't hear that drink wine had to get a permit. I've often heard stories that if you wanted wine during prohibition, you could go to the back door of the winery. Could

you go down to meeks and get a little wine if you want it? Oh, well there was a few places that bird liked. We have. No, no, but I knew the food like, you know, once in my letter picked up. Yeah. Our neighbors up here would

like they come up from the city and they'd have cars and they got caught the last time. They sold her check bounced and he couldn't get his money back because bootleg, Who is that podesta podesta. Well, didn't they have a winery wine? Just made their own

little just trust their own grave c but I saw a picture. I thought maybe I saw a picture now long ago. I thought they sold they had a no they brought up on top of the hill on the other side here just a little right up

this road. They're both dead now. Was it is there any of the old winery where they made wine? Is it left or was it a stone building or wood or I don't know, they just made it in the basement, kept it in the basement. Absolutely. Well

I've been told podesta's had illegal winery. Not that I know and I knew him for years and years. Yeah. Their girl and my boy was born about the same time. Even after prohibition, podesta's didn't have a winery. Yeah. No, because one time a fella came from

a prohibition, they made a little wine. Mancini's house is a little wonder. There. Made a He didn't find their graves just across his own three. And did he sell it commercially after program? But he got he got picked up up your time. Well now did he?

He said he had it in the basement where the demosthenes is which DeMoss today? Are you talking right down first, down the road that all of the structures and stuff. Yes. That building which demolished in the late Eddie Eddie Eddie the first house when I came

in on the road that was Eddie's house And he lived there no podesta podesta and he made a little wine in his basement. And apparently he sold it. I think he had a permit originally to make well during prohibition. And permit didn't do any good. It

had to be poor church. Not at all because he sold it. So lying down here because during prohibition, can you remember the California wine association having anything in it? Was anybody operating it making sacramental wine? No, no, not there. I don't think they made a documentary,

but and here's my uh one of the wonders that I made a all of that. The line find her there on the homepage, they make a an alliance kind of a pork rind ST stuff, you know? Yeah. Mhm. What did you, how did you survive After

1925 when the price dropped out of the grape? There was no price for grapes. You've been getting $100 a ton. And then what did you get during the late 20s? No, no, I wasn't trying to skip along 29, I went back to teaching because you had

so little money. Well, I didn't I didn't want to mortgage the ranch. We didn't know any money and I went that teaching. What were you getting for grapes in 29? Mhm. Mhm. How about the early 30s, can you remember the early 30s when the depression was

at its height? Well that's very long. He may not work too out in the fields in different places. So you had to you had to go out and work in order to survive. was there any market for? Was anybody buying grapes in the 30s, 1930 31.

Just before prohibition. Just before Franklin Roosevelt was elected. Was anybody buying grapes? Yeah. Well yeah, but uh one fellow I thought a couple of years some fella they come in here with the truck and hauled into the city you gave me cash from? We load up

the truck. He says, Well, I got four tongue on the truck. There's the money for forth from the grave. How much did he give you? Well, I think one year I got 40. All those times. Yeah, I thought that was a lot. Yeah. And run the

other. Probably got all through settled up. I have a partner. Number $200 coming. He paid up that close. All right, because he got the cash for a minute. He unloaded them down there. But it take about four. Come to the load to the city. Yeah. In

the 30s. How many acres of grapes did you have in 1930? Mhm. 10 acres is that all? And what else did you have Bruins soldier? What did the prunes bring? Oh they were they had a million euros that were pretty good. So most of your income

was from prunes. Not from vineyards. Sure. Yeah. Mhm. Mhm. Do you remember as you grew up? You don't remember any thiel's being around. There are no thiel's around now now I don't know anyone well I remember stuff but But that whole Cooper's out from the Tier

one day that's all that I know. Do you remember being told that the teal place had been the Osborne place originally? No I don't know. But Osborne owned all that land right there and he must have sold it to Teal. He must have sold the teal.

Mhm. Am I the only this ranch where the white house is the only ranch over here. How about the witten's? Are there any witnesses around? There was a witness in guys? You will but I don't know if they're the same. Waiting or not. Were there witnesses

around when you were a young man written? Yeah. Well the son lives over there. Uh huh. The highway. Is he the same witten that had johnson's place? That's a grandson? Huh. Probably would be on the hill. Meeks or you know what? When did Mr meekly Tommy?

When did he leave? What do these? Well I don't remember the year. I'm here for our I don't remember what year. Of course was africa. Well he was an uncle to robert young because after prohibition or something. Huh. Mhm. Mhm. I don't remember the year when

tom makes all of the four hours I think. Meet marry down a young girl when? Mr meat built his winery? Was that before your father died or was it afterward? Right. Either either start building the year that died or the year afterwards, 1967. Can you remember

the earthquake? Oh sure. Was it shaking this house? I shall say. I threw me out of bed instead. Say I slept upstairs. He started shaking. I just pull the covers over my head up up to the flashing and come down. Oh yeah. Chocolate. Did everybody get

up in the house and after a check over before didn't hurt anything here? Huh? It's uncle was out and he said the tree has hit the ground and came up. I've seen I've been in earthquakes where it looked like it did that you know? You know

what? We've been fortunate. My first school I had chantel ears and we had if the hell and came back again boy, I was scared. I was a young squirt then too. Was there any damage done at the meek winery from the earthquake? Not about anything. I

don't think because he was the start of the building. You know. Did you ever hear of any damage to any of the wineries from the earthquake? What was it that most of it? Most of most of the buildings. Yeah, they survive it will do much. Just

shut them up a little bit. We've had a lot of earthquakes since they've been in the geothermal. Mhm. We've had a lot of risk weights off and on here that you can feel hmm. Lock you up and die. Is that from explosion from music? What caused

it? I couldn't tell you for about four months, we'd have them every once in a while. Uh when they had the big one in Santa Rosa a few years ago, 69. It just took that little while cocktail things took a little bit and I said, oh

that's an earthquake. Then I tried to get my sister and I couldn't get it and tried to get my brother and my sister and I couldn't just damage their house awful. Didn't hurt us at all. Where did you teach school? I taught at Lincoln school in

santa rosa. Stupid. First year, then Lincoln. Then I went up to italian Swiss colony. It's my school. Yeah. How many years did you teach up there? 36. When did you quit teaching? 65. Mhm. When I was 69, my husband made me quit. I loved it. I

loved every minute away. I had many disturbing retarded the last five years. That's a nice challenge. Isn't I was Forced teacher in that year. I went up 29. I was I weighed over 200 now. 130. Mhm. Yeah. Tell me again, let's say if you were born

in 91. Yeah. That makes you my terrible mathematician. But that's 80 seven, years old. Have you been pretty healthy all your life? Oh yeah, pretty good. Oh, I had a we had a very serious operation. The operation's over a a stomach operation. Had any were you

ever in the hospital for anything else? Nope. Just the two operation. Yes. The time you fell over the cliff with a fractured skull. Honey, what makes you so healthy? Good food. Just keep moving around. The swiss sent him. Yes I think so. I think it's a

background and he's acting. Do you still go out and work and don't work anymore? Would you go out and tell them when to pick the grapes don't you? That's the last year. That kind of cooked both been around much. You mean you've been out a little

bit? He had that big garden. Now You don't prune or do anything anymore. Last year I prove something but I don't think I'll try it. You pruned last year at 86. Last year he got a driver's license until he's 91. Mhm. Your eyesight is good. Can

you eat anything you want? No, no. You have to be careful. Huh? I wonder why. Uh He gets something to get breakfast every morning. I never have gotten breakfast. Do you eat a big breakfast? Huh? I got to have a good breakfast on the way that

you can go on. Mhm.