SYLVESTER NEWHALL
CALIFORNIA NURSERY COMPANY FOUNDER
Bio= Pen Pictures
SURNAMES:
In 1856 Sylvester
Newhall came to Santa Clara County and established a nursery on the
bank of the Coyote, which, after a few years, he sold and removed to
the Willows. He had an abiding faith in the horticulture of Santa
Clara county from the first, and has done his share toward making that
faith a reality. He has not only constructed a large nursery, but
he has also planted about a hundred acres of orchard, which is at this
time coming into full fruition.
In 1863 came John Rock, a German by birth, but with many years'
experience in the nurseries at Rochester, New York, and other rioted
fruit-growing sections of the East. He established a small
nursery on land near Alviso, rented from Malovos.
He soon moved from there to W. Boots' place, and in 1865 purchased
forty-eight acres on the Milpitas road near San Jose, which he planted
to a nursery of fruit and ornamental trees. In 1879 this place
became too small for his operations, and he purchased his present
location, of one hundred and thirty-eight acres, near Wayne
Station. The rapid strides of the California fruit interest made
such demands on the Santa Clara county nurseries that in 1884 Mr. Rock,
with R. D. Fox and several other nurserymen, organized the California
Nursery Company, and purchased four hundred and sixty-three acres of
land near Niles. of which three hundred and thirty-three acres are now
planted and furnishing stock, and the remainder will be planted during
the season of 1888-89. Mr. Rock's exhibition of Santa Clara
County nursery products at the New Orleans Exposition of 1884 received
the award of all the principal premiums offered in that
department. The capital stock of the California Nursery Company
is $100,000, and John Rock is its President, and R. D. Fox, its Vice-
President. Although these nurseries are just outside the county
limits, we speak of them as belonging to Santa Clara county, for the
reason that they are the result of Santa Clara County energy and Santa
Clara County capital.