Robert Meyer : Geyserville Growers, Incorporated, Northern Sonoma Wines, Geyserville, California

This is Louise Davis today June 7, 1988. I am talking with Robert Meyer bob and his wife Betty live in Healdsburg. Oh I'm gonna need a little help from you. As far as questions go when we get to the growers because I'm um real novice when

it comes to business or to wine growing or wineries or anything. So you might think of things that I haven't even thought of that. I'd like to get on tape. What I'd like to do. First of bob I think is talk about the Meyer family, we've

got an hour and a half altogether. So this is going to cut off in 45 minutes and I don't know whether half and half is realistic. I'm sure at least half of it should go to the growers and whether a half my back there pretty close

to three o'clock, so we'll have to have another session. But why did you fire away? Okay. What I'd like to start within is the Meyer family and the things types of things I'd like to know is when the Meyer family first came to the guys single

area, Why they came if you know where they came from, where they lived, what their names were. Basic beginning facts. That's all right. But I'd like to have it on tape too. Uhh Well, gee I can't remember those dates. Louise pratt. Well let's see. It says

here, Yeah. What was your grandfather that came from? Let me just let me just try to summarize it. You can feel it. That's all I need is a son. The first meyer to come here was clause C. L. A. U. S. A. I think and he

bought the properties that are about a mile south of Geyserville. Uh and actually that wound up in three parcels, the Ferguson ranch. And lily Ferguson was a meyer and she was a daughter of clouds fire. And then Ernest maier was the son of claus. Meyer. His

ranch was in the middle and then the one on the south belonged to my grandfather, john Henry and he bought it from Klaus. So at one time those three ranches were all in the Meyer family as far as the dates they arrived and everything. That's another

section here. Is it Ferguson Ferguson F. D. R. G. U. S. O. N. And Ernie was the son of Klaus. Yes, mm hmm. And his wife was Kearney's wife Clara. Do you remember her? No, I don't, I probably should, but I don't, I only know of

her from IDa Domenichelli I guess they lived on her maiden name was Vano Ni. Yeah, mom said she was a sister of, well it wouldn't be a sister of mrs Van Oni then of her maiden name was Vano Ni. No, I think claim, I don't think

he was a brother he might have been, I really don't know who is and then their daughter was mildred who trade bracket. Okay. And then mom said that maybe she was Henry, the brother of clouse. His name was john Henry. They all called him Henry. Yes,

he was clouds. His brother. Mhm. And his wife was Catherine. Yes. Hey mom says her maiden name was mine. That's right. Which makes it more confusing. Yes. I wonder whether you've made a mistake. Same thing happened on my marriage certificate because my mother in law's maiden

name was also Davis. We got our marriage license. They tried to tell us my ex husband had made a mistake of my life. Okay there and there Henry and Katherine's Children were all right. My dad was the oldest, Harry, my aunt Annie and her name was

Anna Anna Mayer, Cottle, C O. T. T L. E. And she lived in Phillipsburg in the area all of her life. Then my aunt bertha became bertha Meyer, Harlem And they lived here probably 10 or 12 years. The Harlem I mentioned is the Harlem family that

had a big ranch up in the mountain is just below. Guys are peaking above alexander valley. And the youngest was Will for William and he managed the bank of America. And guys who go for a long time. And again that's that's you must I remember him.

He was married to Olive Olives hotel. That's right. How do you spell for less w to eat a snail. Where was she from? She was local. No, somewhere in the Middle West. I'm not sure but where he met her. I just have no idea. Well let's

see, she must have come out here when she was very young Louise because her half sisters were the Meissner family basically from Hillsboro frank, Meisner was her half brother. And what was the man's name at home? The hardware store down here? Years ago Whitney Meissner. I

married him I think we had um eyes during Kaiser Bill to at some point. Leroy you work at the growth. Did he have a grocery store, butcher shop? The butcher shop was saying that that was my Olives nephew. So it was a relative. Yes. Now she

and she and Bill had no Children. That's right okay. And what about anna coddle? And I've seen that name in the cemetery was her husband's name was Harold. Yes. And did they have any Children? Yes. With their Children? Harold Jr and he's dead. It's the only

one. And bertha Meyer, Harlem H. A. R. L. A. And she had two sons. Even. I'm getting mixed up here. Look at this She had two sons and their names were James and he's dead and john teams bible names. The use he's in southern California now

that Harlem family to other Places. I've heard that name. one is the nurse in heels. Very I had a nurse at the Healdsburg hospital Nurse sell up. What was her name? Marcella Marcella just a nurse cell. I thought that would maybe Nurse Ella wouldn't that be

a proof? It's a strange spell. You better check that one out. They could tell you. She married a Harlem Yes it was her first husband. Harlan was her first husband. His first name was Ellis. Getting away from my family again. And the other was Harlan Rommel

was Harlan Rebel named after the same thing. I think I think there's some relationship there but I can't tell you what it is. Um You cannot tell me a bit about you will, We're where you told me where they settled and this will tell me approximately

when they came. Do you have any idea whether it was after 1900 or before 1900? It was before I'm sure. And they settled in contiguous ranches there? Ernie And then John Henry was the furthest one South next to the nervo property? Okay so originally we said

they were too well the first one was claus meyer, then my grandfather bought his ranch from Klaus. Then when Klaus, Klaus passed away, he left half to half of the remaining ranch to lily Meyer Ferguson and the other half to Ernest maier, So that's why it's

1 3 and that's why I live. That's a lily Ferguson. Do you have any idea who owns those ranches now guys? Your equine re owns our old ranch cinema vineyards, owns the uh Bernice Meyer Ranch. And the Ferguson ranch has recently been sold and I don't

know who to somebody from the east and if you want the his name, you can call Cheryl pomeroy, do you know Cheryl? She was a Beffa, which is an old local family too. What about Sky? She works at the super reminder tasting. So she could tell

you that because her husband manages the ranch. What about this fellow Rasmussen? Did he own the Ferguson ranch? He didn't, but he and another man that's still around here locally, who's name is ken Toph headed a syndicated group or limited partnership called North Coast vineyards. In

fact, they owned an extensive model property in the area and that ranch was one property that they owned. He's been, he's gone through bankruptcy, let's say he took that over I guess somehow from north coast vineyards and he did all that himself. He owned the person

ranch, the run of ranch. So when across the highway with GP Auto records now and part of it is on the east side of the railroad to I think there's a Trailer in there along like a 60-foot trailer that they've moved in there I suspect as

part of that parcel because one of my students, you're talking about the west side of the track at the east side, there's a, there's a train. No, it's closer to the freeway than that. It's hard to see as you go north on the freeway, you can

hardly see it. They moved it in about a year ago and it's between the freeway and the railroad track. Oh yeah, but that's west of the railroad tracks to west of the railroad tracks? East of the highway? Yeah and he says his dad works for gp

auto Records. So I think that the two parcels must be connected somewhere or another now the house lily Ferguson's house is gone now, isn't it? Didn't they just recently take that down. Unfortunately. It was a beautiful victorian but it was just a mess. He had the

brass must've had everybody in there and you know, he was cited by the law and it just was a total disaster. I don't even want to talk about. I remember when I was in high school, I never was actually in the house but when I was

in high school the riddles worked for lily Ferguson is now galas, frosty Oh galas basti was gail riddle. And uh I was a good friend of gales, we used to go to church together and I can remember visiting her there and they lived in a little

house behind lily's big house. I remember the garden anyway, do you have any idea when any of those houses were built? Did lily did, did Klaus Bill lily's house? So I'd say I'm sure I'm not sure Louise and I I really don't know where you could

get the answer to that. Uh huh. See there were three homes, my grandfather's is one in the middle on the Ernest maier ranch and there was a quicker, so I don't know what about the home of blood caked lips in. That was Ernest Myers home that

was earnest smart I think. But it has a life estate now. He can tell you he doesn't own it. Well he owns it in a life of state when he and his wife had gone. I think it reverts back. But you better check that out. But

he doesn't own the ranch. He just has does he manage the ranch? Just lives there. There's the old winery in the old home. Well then in the ranch that's south of where? But cake lives and he says that's the old Ernie Myers house. Are there two

houses south of budget? No, but is living in Urban Meyer's side and the property south of that was my grandfather's and my dad's. Are there two houses on yet? Yes. Okay, smaller home than I lived until I was eight years old. And then my grandmother and

my grandfather's home. The smaller home is the one that's north, the northerly of the two of them. Yes. It's kind of hard to see from the road. It is. There's a couple of big walnut trees. Shield. Do you remember when do you have any idea when

it was built? No. Cool. Where did you grow up? I lived on that ranch for eight years and then we moved down to what today we call the red barn ranch. It's a mile south actually. It was Was in the long family at one time. My

dad bought it from one of the lungs and I lived there from My 8th year until I went away to school build that off. You know which red barn? I think next to for instance. Oh, I thought it was for instance, foreign, but I think I

know which one except the house you lived in. Is that on the opposite side of the highway from the barn? It's on the west side of the highway down to a single story and I don't know what they call the architecture. The architecture was very typical

of homes built in the area at that time. John Rose home, that prairie style or something. I don't know what you call it. The Pelham kony's lived in. It was quite survived. All right. The old Rose home or Byron lampson used to live with the freeway

is now that was similar to that. Do you have any idea when that house was built? Yes, that had to be built. Let's see about 24 1924. Now the other houses you don't know when they were built. Yeah, There would have been three I guess it

was really pretty old. And then the one you lived in first is the newer of those you're going back to the old ranch is now. Yeah. Oh yes. The one that my dad and my mother lived in and the one I lived until I was eight

years old was built probably shortly before dad and mother were married. So when are they married? I can't remember if it's in here. Who are your neighbors? The miracles for three generations. I interviewed him last week. He might be able to tell you when those houses

were built. I never thought of asking. I asked him about his own your butt cake. Just like to his buds mother still living. She might, she was one of the first ones I talked to, but she did not want to be on tape. So I got

to write it all down scare something. Yeah. And it was difficult because I'm not absolutely sure I got all the facts. I understand she broke her hip about a month or so. How you're asking about neighbors? Well those were our neighbors on the south and of

course to the north was no part of the family. Ryan. What about north of, part of the family who owned? I don't know I mentioned her name of shoots remember was where there were south. Yes. So they wouldn't be neighbors and I have no idea who

the neighbors were that. Okay. It's the nerve bows and the Meyers and I, and who across the freeway would have been reading up still and Nerva was across the, and then of course you owned all the way to the river. Do you have any idea how

many acres? Yeah. And the ranch that my grandfather owned and my dad Eventually took over it was approximately 70. So be for harry, have any idea how big the, any of the others. Oh, I began seeing movies. I would say the Ferguson ranch including all that

they owned on the river was probably about the same. And the earnest my ranch in the middle again, it was probably the same way they see, they split it three ways really. So they might have ended up being smaller, probably slightly smaller because that property was

split between lily and earnest. Right, Do you have any idea why they came to that area and who they bought the property from? Um well why did you come into the area first? You know, they were opportunists. They all came from the, my grandfather came from

the bay area, from Germany and they just saw this ranch land and I guess the source just like people moving in the country today. Uh There's no other way to into that. They didn't have. Did one of them come? Did clouds come first or no, he

came first. So maybe part of the reason john Henry because his brother was. Yeah, I'm sure that's right sure. Then why Klaus Klaus is the one that pioneered really. My grandfather, 13 minutes later. It's interesting that there, I don't know. There must be a good reason

that I just don't know why so many Germans came at that time. I mean I wonder whether some attracted others by word of mouth. That's always great. You know why my grandfather came. I mean I don't really know either but it seems interesting there were so

many Germans gotta ask Albert that question. I think one attracted the other somehow they knew that the Germans were in the area. There had to be a german community in the Bay Area. I can remember my father talking about different families. one family name was C.

B. And I don't think of any others at this point that so I think they moved from the german community and do another one. And believe me they were foreign, my dad didn't speak english when he went to school and this was a big shock to

my mother coming up from the Bay area from an english family and moving into this farm community surrounded by all these german people now. Where did your father go to school? Sure. He went to the little independent school And I think he only went to the

3rd grade and he was very much it was self educated man. I know he went to business school. Business college is what we called but he didn't go much further than the third. Now you said it was your grandparents that came over from Germany on your

father's side. Your grandparents came over from Germany to the Bay area and in here it tells what part of Germany they came from. He's right that way that over right now I was gonna before I forget I was gonna say, I can, I can remember my

mother talking about all the german friends that used to come up from the city to visit them. It was a real cultural connection that they had and I always got the feeling they were people of class, even though my grandparents were all farmers. Um I mean

they were like people that own jewelry stores and and they they were classy kinds of people and they used to come up on weekends and during the summer and have these big party parties, dinners and stuff on the ranch. They were very, very frugal people and

I don't remember any poverty in my family. I remember my grandmother always sending money back to Germany so just what their background was in Germany, I don't know, I'm sure that had its ups and downs too. But when my grandfather came over here 1st, well he

worked for quite a while and then actually my grandmother was a mail order bride. My daughter brings that out very clearly, she came over with her mother and father and moved in that big house. She was much younger than my grandfather, I would say at least

20 years, very calm and I think yeah, what did your grandfather do for a living like? He always wrenched well when he was in san Francisco or did he not stay inside? It was in san Francisco is the East bay and I think Katie mentions it,

I don't remember luiz whether he worked for the city or the county or I just don't know. But they had their eyes on this north coast there there was no question about that. Okay, when you just said a minute ago and I wasn't listening carefully. You

said was it your father or your grandfather that didn't speak english when he did you say go to? Well I said my dad didn't speak english when he went to school. I think he must have had a smattering of it. But I do know that the

language they spoke around the old home was always german and I could understand german and began to speak a little bit because I grew up there. I was the only baby around and I was with my grandparents all the time. I can't speak today. In fact

I never could never could speak the same with me. I spoke a dialect but before I go to school. But so so my grand that's an interesting question I would say. I know my grandmother didn't speak english because she came right over here from Germany and

my my grandfather probably drop back and to speak in german as a matter of convenience and this is conjecture. I'm not sure sure he spoke did she ever learn to speak english did I don't I just don't remember them never speaking english baseball Germany as a

matter of convenience but when they had guests it was always english Of course. Now you you made a comment about your mother, you said see your father obviously. Well it was a german descent and spoke german before he went to school. Now you said something about

your mother. Being surprised. Tell me a bit about your mother? Well, I don't think she was surprised. I'm sure she had her eyes open and what she was moving into. But excuse me, I can remember that. It must have been rather traumatic thing for her to

move up here into this german community and coming from the Bay Area, you know, move into a typical farming community. Where was she from? Auckland and she was not germane, she was english, she was english and her name was Harris more than charlotte, Harris, Harris moore

Harris. She was very english. Mhm. I'm very proud of it. How did she meet your father? Uh Dad was working in the Bay Area. Uh He owned part of a candy business. Drove up horse and buggy around from Oakland, Emeryville I guess up around concord and

back to Richmond. I don't know how long it took them to make the route but he distributed candy to stores in the area. So he was working down there again. My daughter brings out, so that's where he met my mother, her family, her dad was a,

I worked in the shipyards in Oakland and I'm sure that was his training and background from England did her dad come from England both her mother and father directly from England. Where were you? Your dad and his two sisters and brother born dad was probably born

in the ranch house. I'm sure they all work in guys are built on the ranch. Yeah. So they weren't born in the Bay Area. No. What what did Mr Coddle do? Where was his ranch off the record? He drank an awful lot of booze, that's what

he did. He did a bit of everything. He was quite a bond. We bond actually he had a race car. The he was a fruit buyer which I've been all my life. Are you born the bond too. So at any farmed unsuccessfully. It's a delightful guy

really. But he did, he did, where was this ranch? He owned a ranch in alexander valley. I It became absorbed by the Damiano family at one time that kitty dugan's family grew up there, you know what I'm talking about? Just south of Cakes Ranch. Yeah. Yeah

that was the old Coddle, that was the Cardinal ranch. We used to have christmas eve there on occasion but I was real small, Probably still under 10. My mother and then they moved into Phillipsburg here for quite a while. It was one of them a car

salesman remember that my mother said that her father Albert sr bought their first car from a codel and she thought it was Harold? Yeah that's that's that's what we're talking about. I mentioned the fact that he was a race car fan so he probably sold automobiles

alone and it was for a dealership it's really oh sure it could have been mhm mhm mhm. Um Then I assume that Ernie all of them were farmers Ernie and Klaus and john Henry and Ferguson the loafers of course they were they were all farmers when

they were farmers and then of your parents generation I suppose anne mary farmer. Well did you married couple who was a farmer? Well no he was a farmer and many other things other things he really wasn't successful and he had a supplemented by these other businesses

or he would really adrift from one now. What about and see Bill went into banking. Bill did some farming for a while. In fact at one time he owned half of the ranch of my my dad but it was just a part time thing for him

and he was still working in the back so he was a full time backer and then that didn't work out too well and dad bought him out the farming farming. Yeah it was too small for two people. Do you have any idea where Bill started in

back into banking. Yes in Healdsburg I think way back before it became the bank of Italy and eventually became the bank of Italy. Even personal bank of America Oh mm remember the war field name. George War field was a well known banker in Philipsburg and then

there was a second bank and I believe it's a second one. Weather was the bank of sodium or health quirk first national. Uh huh You can get that information from the jail down with the museum and yeah you don't remember. Certainly the name joe miller miller

was a manager here and an old family and then Royal Haley isn't right. I remember I believe he followed sanborn remember. Yeah but he wasn't a manager. He worked in the bank but that's the bank I'm talking about. Dennis is another all time worked here for

years and years and that's where bill started in those days. You didn't go to school to be a banker. You just started working there and you worked your way up. Bill went to high school I think I'm sure he didn't, he didn't graduate from high school

probably went to business college. He might, I add Olive told me the story that the sending down to lick Wilmerding a well known school and it's still there in san Francisco and I think I'll be able to stick it out for about a month and he

got homesick and he just came back quick so he grew up on that property. The bank is the only job. Do you have any idea when he started working at the bank and guys Orville or when he took over as manager because my mom worked for

him for a while. She might do You know these are questions that you really have to search out. I can miss 10 years louise I just um bertha now Harlan was also a farmer. Yes, he grew up on the Harlan ranch which was a very well

known ranch years ago. They were basically cattle and sheep growers and it was you say up in the hills on the geysers, john john pepper and Shelley's wife runs it now and she could give you some history on that. And it was a cattle and sheep

cattle And then six little group rapes and prunes. A little ranch in alexander valley. It's not too far from where bob youngs property is and that's when we're, my two cousins really grew up, then he went to the work for the department of Agriculture and they

moved to Fresno and then eventually he moved to sacramento. So he spent most of his lifetime, we're working for the state of California. Now your dad was a farmer all of his life which and he managed the guys growers and one of the founders. So yes,

he was a farmer but he also was an executive at that time in the business world, right, what did they farm? I mean what my family, there was always a variety of my father's philosophy was, look I have two or three or four crops that one

was bad, the other would pull you through basically prunes and grapes, apples and pears and always a few cattle, bit more of a sideline than anything else because the ranches were really, really not cattle ranches. The land was too so it was prunes and apples, grapes

and pears. Did that change any over the years or was it all pretty close now? It's I assume all graves, whoever owns it now. But no, I think that's pretty much the pattern of most of the farming people in the guise of rural area. Uh grapes

came in later after prohibition and they were there before prohibition and Repeal. What was 1933. Yeah, well that's when the grape industry began to grow. Well some farmers I think had more grapes at the beginning and then pull them out because of prohibition and because of

Phil ochs era and went into. Yeah, but then instead of replanting grapes of course they started planting prunes. But that wasn't so much the case with your dad and he did not have a problem with phylloxera. That's a question I should be able to answer. I

don't think so because those ranchers were I would say more prunes than anything. That's true of the Fergus Ferguson ranch and the Mayer ranch and my father's property, some pairs Ernest Mayer had probably had more pairs but those two crops did beautifully on those type of

silence, they were really too rich for cribs, you know deep, alluvial beautiful soils and the grapes came later louise, they were not a major crowd and there were no apples on rail if they were very few on either of those three possums. The ranch my dad

owned where the old red barn is a mile south had a beautiful Grabenstein Apple ranch, apple orchard and that was basically again Annapolis grapes, all four crews and pears, but on yours it was mostly on your dad's. It was mostly prudence and pears made up the

largest percentage and some grapes. Uh huh. Yeah. Prunes and pears. Post proofs. I don't remember if you answer this, you might have and I might have forgotten. Do you know who they bought their property from? I heard Longs, the southern part. You've got some of that

from the long. Do you have any idea who they bought? The other parcels from? The parcel of dad bought from the long family is one where the red barn that was about Probably about 50 acres including the hill there. In the meantime. It's been cut on

the freeway of course. So uh, yeah. You don't have any idea who Klaus bought his from john. I really don't know. It could have been their land, but still it probably was, you know, just grazing land. And in those days, Captain Albert, I can tell you

that. Yeah. Hey, they grew a lot of am poor cattle. That's right. And we see you were so far from a market and those things were especially crop. I like pears and apples. You have to shift into a market, grapes were different because you have local

whiteness pears, apples. Prunes were dried well we're getting officer. You could dry those locally. Well, let's see. Where did you go down? Where did you go to elementary school? Just out of curiosity. I started to go, Did I miss going to the independent school one year?

So when did it close? Oh, I started, uh, I must have closed in 20 two. So you went directly to talk to Lynn friends too. No, I have not. He'd remember a lot of uncertainty. I talked. I started, I started going to school Indian guys. Well,

which was a forward school that I talked to. The eagle, mildred Eagle Black. And she lived down there and I think she gave me a, she would change. Yeah. Mm hmm. So you went to the elementary school and guys you go all eight years and then

two guys at the high school for four years graduated in 34. I spent four years in the old frame building and then The last four years burned down. That one was built in 1926. B about right. Started 23. I assume you said independence closed in 22

you missed it by a year. Yeah. So it was probably, Well I graduated from high school in 34. Just go back 30, 30, 30 out of out of Grammar School. And how many years did 22. Yeah. Yeah. I have heard a great story about the bell

free about the woodpecker than stashing acorns in there. And the substitute teacher thought it was somebody knocking on the door all the time. It was, my mother told me about the Meyer family. Well, why don't we go to the growers? All right. That's something. How much

more time do you have? Let's let's start movies. I just got a couple of things. I I have to get a letter out the southern part of the state. So why don't we start here And let me call in about 10 minutes. Sure, stop right here.

Yeah, that, yeah, I can cut it off at any time. Um What I'd like, Can you tell me anything about the California Wine Association? I'm assuming that the growers since they have that same land, maybe you can tell me something about that in john bosh and

and they have to Met with a very important thing in guys to go once upon a time. The dates I can tell you is that he came here and about started about 1899 And last he left it in about 1916, severed his connection with it because

he had become of the high in the meantime. And, and they said no drinking of alcoholic beverages and so he shouldn't produce it either. I can give you that date, but that's about all I know. Drive a glass of water you certainly need. Okay, the California

Wine Association, I really can't tell you too much about that. I can tell you about the old building that uh, was on the property that's now owned by the Valley View packing company and Raymond Brandt and I used to play in that gigantic building. It was

a tremendous building, had all the old wooden tanks and it's just a small ghost town. And my father and the board of directors of the guys were growers bought that property And in 1932, a year before repeal decided to tear it down. So they destroyed the

old California Wine Association building. And that's what, as I say, I was on the property where the, where the Valley View packing company is today and also the grower's farm supply. This valley view, just north of the old growers building used to be to hide connects

to it. Yes, it's continuous. So that's all I tell you about. The California one. I'm sure the building, do you know whether it was a co op California wide Association? I believe it was, it was a statewide association and I believe, in fact, I know they

were uh, they were a group of wineries associated together in a cooperative effort to market life. So, so then the winery, there was just one of several wine California wine association was a statewide organization. So that's why it was so big because I have read that

it was the largest wine re in northern California in California even read someplace was the largest winery in the world. That could be and you should get the history of that. In fact, I'd like to get, I'd like to know more about that. And I think

the Wine Institute, I can tell you where to go. There must be a history of the wine industry similar. The one has quite an industry in California. Mhm. And that building had to be built before prohibition because that was a tremendous operation. Just looking back we

had a million and a half gallons storage at the northern Sanoma lines across the track which was built by the guys in the groves, that was a billion and a half. And I would say that California Fair house, Do you have any idea how large the

acreage was in Geyserville in those days? I have no idea bosh had or that he was, I don't think john bosh owned any grapes. Not know he was the Superintendent, Superintendent, winemaker, brandy maker, whatever. And he used to go, I guess up and down on the

train traveled from guides to go to san Francisco on the train, probably peddling the line. Yeah. And and it had written here working for the northern Sanoma County wineries in northern and cinema and counties was capitalized like it was the name of an association or a

business? Do you know anything about what the northern Sonoma county wineries or do you think they just like northern if it were small letter would just mean all the wineries that were in Northern tsunami County. Okay. Uh, now that you mention that, I, I think I

know what type of operation it was. It was an association of all these wineries in the area. Probably all of cinemacon. These little plants made their wine, brought it into this center and I don't think they, I know they didn't do today. What then what we

do today to wine? Like finishing it? So they undoubtedly blended it, put it in barrels marketed. It took it to wine haven and Richmond and sold it all over all over the, the United States I guess. But I would certainly say mostly in California have any

idea where the central location might have been. No, I don't know. It had to be somewhere in the great valley which was by and far has always been a much larger. Great girl in area than here. So the guys who go there were vineyards that were

owned by this association. Uh, yes and no, they were, there were people just growing grapes like my family did okay, they would deliver to wine in john Petrocelli franson, whoever had, who was there in those days and then they were wineries themselves, like the nervous, they

had their own one. So they grew, grew grapes and made their own wine. But the problem then as it is today and always will be in California. Agriculture is marketing. So this was the center for marketing all over lines in the area. So farmer didn't have

to worry about marketing and he just sold it to the association. Sure he had plenty of words because I could have sat there for two or three years. But yes, he didn't market. There's no way that small, small growers with the winery Louise could have marketed

their whole product. Well, they certainly couldn't drink it all themselves and we couldn't drink it in the community. So a lot of these little farmers took it to the California Wine Association there bosh. Did they have any of their own vineyards family or will the California

Wine Association. So I don't think so. I think it was strictly a marketing or but you better you better check this factually this comes back to me now and I'm sure that's true. But there was a winery there that started the process of wine making, but

I understand you correctly then it was finished out after it went. I don't even know whether they crushed at that big plant louise. And guys that could have been just an accumulation of all the wines were made in Northern Sonoma County sea transportation was a real

problem in those days. You had to Christ the grapes locally, couldn't haul aboard 10 miles. Well now the railroad would have been there by the end of this. But you couldn't, you couldn't call, you couldn't haul grapes actually. They did. It asked, they called him up

in the gravel cars and fork them out with pitchforks. He was just, that's the only operation that I ever heard now as he was an independent winery at that time, home on my own by private families. So you had that giant plant and the one in

Geyserville, both both of which were quite substantial according to Julius asked, he started later, the italian Swiss colony started later than the California Wine Association would know. He's right, he would know and he said the nervo winery was started. Well the winery that the nervo family

took over was a very old one started by a couple of swiss men didn't, his father built that, He built the stone winery, but there was an old wooden winery represent the freeway took that where they used for a storage but that was, that wasn't as

big as half as big as your home. It was quite tiny. I remember that's interesting. He said italian swiss came afterwards. I think that's well, you better check these facts. Yeah, I don't want to, I don't want to write whatever happened to the California Wine association.

Uh, it continued in business. There was a California wide association when I came into the picture, which was 1945. It was not that plant what virtually shut the whole industry down was prohibition Then after prohibition prohibition was 1919. Is that when it started was repealed 1919

- 33. So then when when it was repealed, a lot of these wineries got back into business. So C. W. A. Is what we used to call them, I'd say went out of existence as such. It became a private winery Probably the early 50s, but I'm

not sure about this. And Oh up until 20 years ago They had a brand called 11 sellers which was still a cooperative then that eventually was taken over by the Perelli Minetti family in the great family and eventually just dropped out. Just wasn't competitive. It isn't

today there's probably a California Wide Association today. I don't know who it's on, it's privately. Mm And you told me about the building's a bit about there were a lot of buildings. According to a postcard that I saw an old photo that's been made into a

postcard. And you say you remember playing in one of those old buildings and then it was, well that's what I'm talking about. That was the California Wide Association's main plant. Was there just one building? It looks like buildings. I read someplace where it looked like a

small village implying it was actually the winery itself had the star of the wooden redwood storage tanks which probably averaged maybe 20,000 gallons perhaps. And I don't think fifties, even 20 to 30,000 and some smaller ones was the main building. Then the distillery was where the

guys that were growers offices today. The wineries up by the warehouse in the north west corner or the northern part of that property that's owned by Valley View Pack. And that big winery took most of that Uh most of the northern part of the 2, 2

or three acres. They must have crushed their release. I'll apply this to. Just curious. And so they began the wine process there. I'm sure they crushed some four growers and I'm sure they brought wine into and blended it and sold it for other small wineries in

the area. Even the Domenichelli family had a little wine. The nerve oats have their little whiner chris Fridson had a little wine. So you think they did it at that location and then ship them, shipped it all and bear and blended it together. They couldn't have

crushed 15,000 groups. Here we had trouble. Question 5000 northern snow across the way. So maybe he means in total. Watch your remains in total. And that's uh that's very possible. Well now let's get to the growers because we'll run out of time before I want to

find some. I'll give you a different, as far as that goes. I'll tell you what I know now. Louise and I'll give you the minutes. It's there from beginning to end. Go ahead. Fire away. Ok, tell me first. Who started my mom. I'll tell you what

I know my mom said there were 12 men altogether. Mostly german families, german men that started the growers in the 19 twenties. It was a farm co op. The names that she remembers. Our Harry Mayer a brand. And I don't remember what gus brand. I didn't

know he was. She seemed harry was the one that gave me the name of brant. I would question that. In fact, I'm almost sure he was. Okay. Albert Blazer. Senior abs here, Yes. And first name would have been Presley, Presley, john whitten Larkin George, la George

larkin soup. It's sister's husband, Laurence smith. Sr she thought, and she wasn't sure if Carl Mchenry had a question mark. All right. I think what she's doing is mixing up. I had three boards of directors when I came into the picture, 1945 one was for the

guys that were grows. The other one was for northern Sonoma wines appropriate. Harry asked me to ask you what that relationship was. And then the 3rd 1 was the small dehydrator plant gold. Guys are cooperative to hydrate. And all of these directors were someone, one board,

some of the other, they were all mixed up. But that will be in the minutes louise then, which was okay. You say there was the growers plus the northern cinema winery and then a dehydrator. It was a sizable growers incorporated. The northern Northern Sonoma wines incorporated.

There was a farm co op. Guys were growers were a private stock. Oh, this was a private Mhm. Okay. Who else? Then? You remember, who else was on the board of the guys who growers? Why? Why don't we just get the minutes? I can sit here

and see those faces Marie. But uh Louise, but I did very well skip a couple too. Okay, Well until you cry where they're 12 sheets off. There was my dad, there was press abs here, It was calculator. Uh ALF McCutchen was a very important pioneer john

wooden kemet sonics and Lauren smith, Bill Ferguson or any Meyer. We've been to Myers, my dad and Ernie, Yes, see arm a cannery is right, I'm up to 11. That's pretty good. I can get the other one from. How do you spell McCutchen? I think I've

done this wrong. M. C. C. U. T. C. H. A. Well, she thought, and do you have any, I can you tell me when it started, She said the early 20s, is that as close as we can get. Uh no, I even have the the sealed

corporate seal for all. So I think it was, I think, I don't think it was the early 20s. It was the early 30's Louise. But here again, I don't get what was its purpose guys are with growers, what did it do? They ran the farm supply

house, that howard hair is running in old phones and runs today. We sold pesticides insecticides, fertilizers, spray materials of all kinds, even got into the irrigation business when I came into the picture a little farm machinery and they bought grapes substantially. Usually from out of the

area being rich, eating brought grapes over from Lodi in other parts of the san Joaquin valley. Why put them into Northern Snowmen wines as a non voting member in the stock? You see, we had all the growers that were the basis for northern cinema wise, but

in order to play the market, if we were short one here as guys go, growers would go over to load a and buy some Zinfandel and bring them over and blend them with these wives. We had a big crop here, we sort of lay out of

the market. I would even buy the grapes locally on that basis to augment the supply of the cohen and this is what Albert did for a long time. In fact when I was managing album was our buyer. Albert Jr yeah, I don't remember his dad, I

remember his father But he was out of the picture before 1945 and that's what I came into the picture. Yeah, he died in 44 I never knew. So Northern Snow Lines was the co author. That's right. And it bought grapes from independent farmers a cop. You

don't buy grapes, you have you have members, they deliver their grapes really a consignment deal to, to the winery, we make the wine and market the wine for them and then distribute the money back to the grill and they in turn had stock in the company.

It's like sun sweet. Well I don't know son sleep works, but it works the same way you don't buy the prunes. Since we all the members of the people don't stop the supply. They get so many units for every time that they deliver. There are a

lot of co ops avocados are big, coop, colossal, sun kissed sun made those are all big. So you earn your money on the finished product, not on selling them. So what you're taking, you're taking a bit of a risk and you take your risk and what

price your wine is going to get after. It's the finished product and then you get paid and it was a risk. That's why we sold really in about, it was 53 and became part of allied grape growers, which was a statewide organization that I used to

go east and sell a million gallons of wine. We sold some locally to gallo italian swiss, a good account in san Francisco called Pellegrini. Then I'd go back to new york boston Chicago, pretty much is a raw kid calling on these people and there was no

future in that. We had no brand. We, we were there Mercy and they were pretty tough people. I can tell you some stories about some of the people I had to do business with. It used to be the mafia, someone were very good people and others

were very questionable. So we were just putting our head against the world because we didn't have the money to develop our own brand. We had a brand called Northern Cinema and another little one called Sandy Pete and we'd sell it locally, but it just was a

drop in the bucket define why dinner wines, reds and whites basically. You didn't even hear of rivals in those days. He was clarity with burgundy and was sauterne combinations. Yeah. And the grapes grown in the community in those days were all common grapes, petites arrives at

Condell. They're varietals today. Golden chassis carried, man was a big one. What was it again? And then it's time went along. You know the fine wine pictures has become very, very important and certainly in this area it's everything. Well, I'm going to kind of change the

subject a little bit. I remember from high school the growers being a place where high school girls could cut pears, No, or pack apples, apples. We shipped about 100 carloads of apples a year. I forgot to mention. So we were packing apples. We were farm supply

house and we buy grapes and addressed them in Northern Snowmen wines. So you packed apples and you bought grapes and you have the winery? That's no, I mean and the farms harry told me, so that's what the growers did. Well, what's this cutting pairs is that

you're competing with? My father, dad had a a pair cutting yard down on the ranch and a lot of the kids work. I thought that they cut pairs of the groans. It wasn't, it wasn't here on harry's Meyer's ranch and he hired high school girls to

come in and cut Sure then I am confused and had nothing to do with nothing to do with the growers at all. Okay. Um, another question I forgot all about what it was when now you have alluded to an ending. I don't want to end before

we hardly even started. But while I think of it, when did it end then Northern cinema lines or guys that will grow the growers are either both of them allied grape growers came in and took over the winery, 1953 that's the wine, that's more than the

number ones 1953. So that in effect took away all of the, all of the great growing potential that gradual growers had. Do you follow me and we made more money louise and buying grapes and putting them in the car and selling the wine than we did

on farm supplies and shipping apples and the Grabenstein apple business begin to disappeared and all went over to Sebastian. Cool. So in 1953 was really the end of all of those organizations guys that were growers incorporated Northern Sonoma wines incorporated And even a little dehydrated or

sold in 1953 to Valley View Packing and I represent them today, will you do is more of a friendship? You have your hands. They won't fire me well. And who also millions of questions come on. Remember who owns the, you said Howard here? What is it

that he owns? And is there any relationship? Did he buy out? No, Let's go back before. Howard? Uh, Mario Zanzi? Uh, what? Lawrence smith? Who the hell was the third one? I guess it was harry hare. I'm not sure bought the farm supply. Okay. And now

question about the farm, I'll let you go on. Why would anybody want to buy these farm supplies from you? Did you sell them cheaper then if they go on to sand it was very competitive. I would say one of our, one of our biggest assets was

that all of our stockholders were farmers. So naturally they would buy their, they got a fair shake on price, but we had to make a profit. We have stockholders. You know, you can't have both, can't sell it for nothing and expect to make it. I didn't

mean to interrupt your train of thought. That's a good question. You have these men Howard here here and it was large smith Mario Zanzi. Oh and clint Hockey. Those three off the guys that were growers inc then hair came in later border and she talked about

and then howard has gotten it from him and he inherited from his now clint and out of it. Well smith wouldn't less. Adaline has some interest. Well, uhh, this is confusing. The guys that growers as a stock company cease to cease to be a going concern.

Uh, and another man in Iceland UK bought the stock company and paid off the stockholders a very minimal amount. When the winery was sold weaves and when these three bought the guys that were growers property, we distributed the monies to the old stockholders. They got paid

off very handsomely and everybody went home happy, but the corporation was still in existence. So Betty and I became partners of a dehydrator in UK. So the cheapest way to incorporate would be to buy the remaining stock company and the license that was with the Department

of Agriculture in Sacramento. I think we bought it instead of starting starting a new corporation. So, but in 1953 the guys were growers, northern snow maligns and guys are cooperative cease to exist as active corporation to other questions, I'm going to say them both. Now though,

you can only answer one at a time, I'd like to know the names of some of the people that worked for the growers or the winery or whatever. And secondly, I'd like to know about the buildings who built them and do you remember when they were

built, I thought maybe you had taken over some of the old California wine association buildings. But I know that's not true. Those are questions. They destroyed that a year before repeal and I never heard much about it. There's really a very serious error in judgment. This

is the building. Yeah, all of who knows what shape those tanks were in uh the old building. Alright when northern Sanoma got started And just after that building was destroyed and this has to be about 33 or 34 they built, they bought the sun sweet plan,

which is now the lumber yard across the track. A big gas on Yeah, that? S on there. It's a sun sweet logo, that's a sun sweet acid, not a Sandberg. Yes, okay, so they, they bought it building for many in romans has made a wire. I

am okay. What about the buildings that howard is in there? They were all part of the California wine association. Oh they are, Yeah, that was part of the distillery. Those are still original buildings from the California wine association. That old growers, what I remember is the

growers building as the office Senate for heaven's sake. That's where the distillery. Mhm. Uh I know that this jewelry was there louise whether that was expanded or whether that building was made bigger. I really don't know either. Those minutes would tell that if that if there's

no mention of that building in minutes then it was part of that was now in Northern Sudan Omar you ask him who have names. Yeah, we'll have the directors. I know mom worked in the office and all of meyer worked in the office. I mean it

would have been later I suppose but I'm talking about you know all the names you can remember. Well as far as guys that will grow as my father managed it Until I came into the picture in 45. Uh sure your mother all of my hair well

then something more recent and then you names and Albert on my uncle Albert was the buyer. Now Olive mom was a bookkeeper and Olive was secretary. They didn't work there at the same time. Yes they did. Yes when your mother was doing the books and Olive

was answered the phone and kind of receptionist secretary. In fact she is telling me a story about how people warned her they might not be able to get along together. My mom got along just famously okay. Remember anybody else? Well there's some more more recent Regina

neely's husband was the agent at the northwestern pacific station and they lived in guys that's where I've heard the name. What was the Lloyd Lloyd and he was a station master or whatever all we call the ticket agent you know there was a ticket agent, he

managed the the railroad operation. They had one in every every town Healdsburg at one closed. Eleanor. Yeah so Virginia was the key office person there for a long time after I came into the picture And your mother never worked for me? I don't think she remembers

it well that was just at the right back. I guess you came with. I don't remember my head olive working there very much. My mother couldn't have worked there very long as soon as she and slim were married, she stopped working and she worked at the

bank for one year, almost a year. And then she worked for the growers and she was only employed two years altogether. That makes sense. Over the winery. Uh When I came back one of the old timers, it was the winemaker. There was charlie jochen. Oh my

goodness. And uh wurl coun he was the manager. Harvey Roads. Okay here he told me that. Yeah. Yeah john Whitten uh Okay after Harvey rose. Then in 1953 l. I grape growers came in And operated that plant until about 57. And then Stacey Bell, I was

brought into the picture. He took over his winemaker. And john Whitney was his assistant stand bracket, worked there for a while. Dick Rose did. Mhm. But for just for a couple of years barry Petersen was the bookkeeper. Let's go in. Not the carl Peterson because I

know how that was joe Cooley. And that which immediately. Mhm. Then in 57 they closed the winery and took everything up to Ashley. And who owned asked me at that time Allied now is that the same as Petry? That we started? Uh Lois Petrie that started

Allied. So there is a connection because Harry said he thought Petry bought out the Northern Sonoma wines. Wasn't Petrie was Allied patriotic. Again, Allied is a cooperative and Petrie was doing much the same guys. What growers did with northern cinema? Is there still an Allied grape

growers? Yes. But they have dwindled to nothing more than a marketing association at this point. Aston has been sold several times. You blind early industries and now bearing here, that's recent history. Yeah. I won't get into that. Okay. Um Can you think of anything that I

haven't asked? Oh goodness. Louise you sit here and talk. You know, you're going back quite a few years. A lot of things come to my mind and again, I feel much more comfortable if you check the facts on some of these things that we had in

question because you're going to write something. Everything you've answered and everything you have window the growers end and who bought it and who owns it now? And why did it end? And how many people have any idea? Well, you told me pretty much how many people

I know about the dehydrator? Did it employ anybody separately? And I assume this would have been only during the Yeah, right. That was a farm cooperative. I managed it. It was a Mhm. Really? A pain to run that damn thing. So we hired seasonal people there.

Your uncle Albert is the one that light up with prunes and we always hire somebody to run the place. Harvey Rose helped for a while. Yeah Stacy bailey. There are many people that have operated that. Yeah I was in charge of the movies but you had

to have a key guide running crew wouldn't. It was a seasonal thing and a very difficult operation actually. George Pitts is and other things. Mhm. I think there's a stock owner guys grows which would have been soo's second husband family. Uh No he was he was

on the board of vegetable diet. But again that's all committed. Yeah. So I really can't tell you who the foreman was Every year for 40 years. That was now the only thing you drawings prunes. Yeah. You know what I think I might do here right now

bob is stuff and get the minutes and then I can add onto the tape from the minutes and give you back the minute, the minute you'll find quite conclusive it's all, believe me the following facts I have gotten from the minutes of bob Meyer gave me

of the guys with little growers. Yeah Guys that will growers started in January of 1933. The first directors were L. C. Smith FP ab sheer who was president F heart sock? Who was secretary W. R Ferguson. Cyrus, Petri harry p meyer, jp whitten cf Yocum Fc

Rose. Albert. L Glaser George Larkin an HHS moral uh the business of the growers was apples, prunes and pears. A new building was erected In June of 1933, adjoining quote, the present building, unquote. Yeah. Members present at the First Annual Meeting, January 10, 1934. Or FP

ab sheer cyrus P. Three Cf Yocum jp whitten harry P. Meyer Hs moral. WR Ferguson L. C. Smith Fc Rose Albert L. Glaser F. Heart sock George H. Larkin, W. H. McMinn E. L. Wise Carver, F H. Kellogg C. R. Mchenry E. C. Meyer, F. V.

Kellogg, C f F john D bosh jw parrot, Henry walker, W. H. McCutchen, W. A. McCutchen and fred preys at that time they decided to increase the number of directors from 12 to 15 and the three added directors were Easy Meyer Alfred McCutchen An F. H.

Kellogg Harry P. Meyer was hired as the manager for the corporation at a salary of $2,500 per year. In March of 34 the directors decided to buy the sun sweet plant and guys are built from the California prune and apricot growers for $12,500 which included three

acres plus buildings and equipment In May of 35. The office of the growers was moved to the front of the packing house and at least 12 ft was added on in november of 1937. They purchased the pioneer house For $700. Wine at that time was stored

in rented cooper Bridge at the stefanie Mazzone and deterred wineries In August of 1939 Charles Yocum, resigned as winemaker of the growers. Mhm. In October of 1941, over 2600 tons of prunes were dehydrated and the hours of work work cut to eight o'clock in the morning

to five o'clock in the afternoon due to the wage an hour law. In November of 1942, they decided to close on Saturdays and Sundays, October sales for that year were $1,573 And the amount of wine shipped was 44, gallons And the amount of green prune tonnage

dehydrated was 2,926. Yeah, In December of 1940 to the stockholders, decided to reorganize on a cooperative basis and be financed on a commodity loan basis. And in January 1943 there was an agreement between Northern Cinema Wines and the growers. In February of 1944, it was resolved

to file an application to the Department of Internal Revenue for a permit for a U. S. Wholesalers, basic permit to sell lines at wholesale. Mhm. In June of 1944 it was decided to separate the dehydrator from the growers and to organize it into a cooperative. Now,

minutes from that time, two November 1952 are missing robert Meyer in the meantime replaced his father as manager, I think. In 1946 And 11, in November of 1953. The boards of the guys will growers in northern Sonoma wines um decided to make final disposition of monies.

Do both companies on a sale to Ally great growers. In November of 1954, the company's apple business and equipment was sold to the miller fruit company in Healdsburg. I think it was the winery property that was sold to the Allied great growers in 53 Yeah, In

November of 1955, that directors decided to sell the property west of the railroad to the Valley View Packing Company for $15,000. And in november and that same month, at a stockholder's meeting, it was decided to put the grower's property up for bid and the result was,

it was purchased by Mario Zanzi, L. Charles Smith and Clint Hawking for $21. They also decided that inventory in stock would be sold in an orderly manner unquote And the last annual meeting was held at the home of Edna Moral May of 1963. Yeah. The first

meeting of the board of directors of the Northern Cinema wines incorporated was held august the 9th 1938 at the guy's apple growers. The directors were cf Yocum. See a fred son who was vice president louis fry Alfred McCutchen, Harry Mayer who was president, walter Frye, who

was secretary and walter sink. The plant superintendent was Leonard fred's and and employees were jim Mazzone and Gene which grow In February of 1947. There was a lease agreement between the guys that will growers incorporated was the lesser and Northern Sonoma wines incorporated. The left seat.

By January of 1953, the members of Northern Sonoma wines Incorporated agreed to sell all their personal property and equipment and real property to the allied grape growers. In June of 1954. The redwood Valley plant, which they had acquired earlier was sold to Fairhurst Enterprises Incorporated. And

in May 1957, the northern Sonoma Wines incorporated, voluntarily dissolved. Yeah, the guys are cooperative dehydrator incorporated was organized in August of 1944 as a dehydrating cooperative and was an outgrowth of the growers. The board of directors was George Steph were George Stephanie, Benjamin Norton who was

Secretary Treasurer Wr Ferguson who was president, walter bell caesar, Betha Dwight richards and see our Mchenry who was vice president. Um Harry P. Meyer was employed as the manager In September of 1944. The board suggested that the grounds, the buildings, the dehydrator and the equipment be

purchased from the guys who will growers for $40,000, Which was done in June of 1945. The guys also in September of 1945. The guys who will grow as the northern Sonoma wines and guys who will cooperative dehydrator. It was decided that they would continue under one

management Robert. Meyer was employed at that time as assistant manager to succeed his father, Harry P. Meyer as manager. On January the 1st 1946 as Harry P. Meyer wanted to retire. Mhm. Everything In November of 1951, Robert Meyer was employed as the executive manager and the

positions of administrative officer and foreman were eliminated and February 1955. The property and assets of the Guys will cooperative dehydrator were sold to Valley View Packing Company, incorporated for $35 and the members consenting to this were Benjamin Norton, W. A. McCutchen. Many Petrie lily, Ferguson, sam,

Schenkkan burger martin, Hoffman, Dwight richards, E. L. Y. Scarver Grant stock um by Hugh, Stockham Emmett, Sonics and Harry P. Meyer and the guys of all growers by W. A. McCutchen.