Odd Old News: The Hansell Ranch Orchard at Camp Grant

Amos Hansell and family. [Image from the Palmquist Collection in the Humboldt Room of HSU]

Humboldt County’s rich river bottomland soils have produced remarkable agricultural products since the Euro-Americans arrived. Planting fruit trees was an integral part of most successful homesteading. From the mid-1860’s on, it was a common occurrence for people to bring samples of their fruits and vegetables to local newspaper editors to sample and praise. As the population of the county grew, so did the market for fruit and produce. Local farmers saw an opportunity to provide an alternative to shipped in produce and “stay local”.

“The finest cherries, peaches, nectarines, pears, plums, and apples grown in the county come from the orchards along the main river from Eagle Prairie to Camp Grant, and along the South Fork”(Humboldt Times,3/27/1885).

In 1872, one of the earliest Eel River areas to go heavily into fruit production was the Amos Hansell orchard located on the Eel River a few miles upstream from its confluence with the South Fork of the Eel. The region took its name, Camp Grant, from its having been the site of a military post and the base of operations for Company E of the 1st Mountaineer Battalion that fought Native Americans from 1863-65. The post was situated downstream and across the river on the north side of the Eel River from the Hansell property.

Crop of Official Map of Humboldt County, 1886 compiled by Stanly Forbes

Amos Hansell Jr.’s entry in the 1910 History of Humboldt County describes the beginning of their Camp Grant ranch:

Here the father and sons cleared up thirty acres and planted it to apples, pears, prunes and peaches, and also established a nursery. There is now on this place, where Mr. Hansell makes his home, a black walnut tree with a spread of ninety feet, and a diameter of three feet and three inches. Here the father and two sons continued to do a flourishing nursery business, until the father retired, in the early ’90s, and removed to Rohnerville, where he continued to reside until the time of his death” (p. 1031). The soil was described as “a rich sandy loam, sub-irrigated and very productive…The residence is especially attractive, its architecture being in harmony with the setting in which it is placed. It was erected by Mr. Hansell’s father, who was a carpenter and joiner, and most of the finishings were prepared by hand, and are exquisitely done. The doors are two inches thick, and are made from selected redwood, as also are the door and window casings”(History of Humboldt County, p.1030).

For decades the Hansell & Sons orchards and gardens were a successful enterprise producing a cornucopia of fruit, their displays at both local and distant Fairs often won “Best Fruit Display” awards. Camp Grant became associated with superior peaches, apples, cherries, walnuts, tomato, and melon crops.
Produce was conveyed to market largely by wagons. Thought to be a just few years away, a railroad extension from its terminus at Pepperwood to South Fork (Dyerville’s pre 1890 name), wasn’t realized for another twenty-seven years when railroad track was finally laid to Dyerville. Until this time, Camp Grant produce was usually transported by wagon on the Pacific Lumber Company road from Robinson’s ferry at Southfork (Dyerville) to the railroad terminus, and on to Eureka. As we have seen, river boats were later used to ply the Eel River, offering a new means of transporting many wagon loads of produce at a time.
Amos Hansell was clearly a pre-eminent orchardist of his time, his orchard work preceded the 1890’s Fruitland Ridge Dutch colony fruit growing operation, and the amazing Albert Etter experiments at Ettersburg.

This week Odd Old News takes an early look at Amos Hansell’s pioneering efforts to promote fruit growing in the county.

Daily Humboldt Standard
October 21, 1884

THE CAMP GRANT SECTION
Fruit Growing is Now Being Started
A. Hansell of the firm of Hansell & Sons, who own extensive nurseries for the propagation of fruit trees at Camp Grand in this county, paid us a pleasant call yesterday. Mr. Hansell is a pioneer resident of Humboldt county, having resided for many years at Eureka—was a Justice of the Peace in this city as early as 1854. In 1872, Mr. Hansell commenced the growing of fruit trees at Camp Grant. The firm now have 11,000 bearing trees. The fruits from this orchard finds a home market. Mr. Hansell keeps two wagons constantly on the road during the fruit season and is thus enabled to dispose of his crop at a remunerative price. All kinds of fruit and vegetables flourish without irrigation. Nuts and stone fruits do remarkably well. In this collection are a number of black walnut trees, the genuine American article, in full bearing. This firm have experimented with grapes. They have nine varieties growing on their place, all of which bear prolifically, become thoroughly ripe and have never been injured by frost. In the mountains in this section are seen great quantities of wild grapes, many of the residents in this sections are turning their attention to planting fruit trees. Among the NEW ORCHARDS We will mention the more prominent Mr. Goble, whose place on Bull Creek, will put out 500 trees. Tosaldo Johnson, who now has a large orchard, will plant 500 additional trees. Mr. E Jacobson, who has a very valuable place in this section will put 500 trees the present season. Mr. Rigby, superintendent of the Humboldt Bay and Eel River Railroad, will put out an orchard of ten acres. Mr. Newman, who purchased the fine orchard known as the Hurlburt place, will put out a large additional number of trees. Judge Hurlburt will put out 200 trees this season on his new place on the other side of the river. There are many large orchards in addition to the above which might be mentioned, but space will not permit. Mr. Hansell, who is an experienced horticulturist, says he is convinced that this section is unsurpassed on the coast for the cultivating of fruit. Even semi-tropical fruits flourish. He has healthy orange trees growing on his place and figs in abundance. There are really no impediments to the cultures of all fruits grown anywhere in Central or Northern California. The sale of trees from the nursery of Hansell & Sons averages from three to five thousand every year. He has now 24,000 growing in the nursery, all of which have been spoken for. The Humboldt Bay and Eel River Railroad, which is now going on, will beyond question, reach the South Fork of Eel River inside of two years. This will give rapid communication to the sea board, and enable fruit growers to find unlimited market for their fruit. When the orchards now being planted come into bearing, the present drawbacks in regard to transportation will have been removed.

(Thanks to Lynette Mullen and her fine history site for help researching this article.)

Earlier Odd and Old News:

There are many, but here are the most recent:

• The Herstory of Two Women Sheep Ranchers in Mendocino County
• Odd Old News: Afloat and Afoot, Travels Through Mendocino County Into Humboldt, Pt. 1
• Odd Old News: Afloat and Afoot, Travels Through Mendocino County Into Humboldt, Pt. 2
• Odd Old News: Afloat and Afoot, Travels Through Mendocino County Into Humboldt, Pt. 3
• Odd Old News: Afloat and Afoot, Travels Through Mendocino County Into Humboldt, Pt. 4
• Odd Old News: Afloat and Afoot, Travels Through Mendocino County Into Humboldt, Pt.5
• Odd Old News: Afloat and Afoot, Travels Through Mendocino County Into Humboldt, Pt. 6—The Conclusion
• Odd Old News: The Advent of ‘Gasoline Boats’ for Fishing and a Stream Report From 1907
• Odd Old News: The 1906 Chinese Expulsion
• Odd Old News: Bicycling—The Exciting New Mode Of Travel and the Evolution of the Bicycle Saddle
• The Bicycle Bandit of Humboldt County