Agriculture in Gilroy
Not many found it easy to make a fortune in the Gold Rush of 1849, but they did find gold in the farmland of California.
Among the Early Farmers to settle in and around Gilroy were Massey Thomas and Samuel and Electra Ousley.
Massey Thomas and his family settled in southwest Gilroy in 1853. They brought 300 head of cattle with them.
In 1854 Samuel and Electra Ousley claimed acreage in the area of what would later become Hecker Pass Road. After Samuel Died, Electra fought to own the land in her own name.
Henry Miller, “The Cattle King”, chose Gilroy to expand his empire in the mid 1800’s. All that remains of his Gilroy headquarters on the Bloomfield ranch are the three concrete silos, which can be seen from Hwy 101 south of town. Ruins of his summer home can be seen at Mt. Madonna County Park.
Hay has been an important crop from the 1850s to the present time.
Dairying began in the 1850s and by 1896 over a million pounds of cheese per year were produced in Gilroy. Live Oak Creamery built in 1908, produced 1/5 of all butter and cheese in California.
Seed production was prominent throughout the county since the Japanese farmers arrived around 1900. Flower breeder, Glenn Goldsmith, founded Goldsmith Seeds here in 1962.
The trees were hand-shaken and children picked prunes from the ground. This was usually during the end of August and first week of September. The school board waited to set the beginning date of school because children were needed for the harvest.
After cutting the apricots, pallet upon pallet were laid to dry in the sun.
In the 1900’s, Italian families began growing grapes for personal use. Today the region has over 22 commercial wineries that produce award-winning wines.
The fertile land in and around Gilroy has made it the capital of many agricultural products over the years. Here are a few things Gilroy has been the capital of:
1850-1860 Hay and Grain Capital
1860-1870 Tobacco Capital
1880-1900 Fruit and Nut Capital
1910-1940 Prune Capital
1980-present Garlic Capital . This historical marker was erected in 2017 by City of Gilroy. It is in Gilroy in Santa Clara County California