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Gary Wegener (Wegener) (1966)

The old Woodland cannery is now Pacific Coast Producers.  The acquired and completely automated the old cannery ~15-20 yrs ago.  My daughter affectionately refers to the cannery during tomato season as "the smell of the economy".

Vern Larson (1960)

Kay Mosts father, Don Most, was instrumental in my being hired at Contadina. He was very good man! One of my jobs was working night shift at a conveyor belt with cans to be boxed and loaded on a pallet. I would get off work and go to high school. I had Mr. Mosher for one of my classes and it seems I was always falling asleep. He must have known I was working night shift and never once called attention to the fact I was sleeping or tried to embarrassed me. Another good man! 

David Swigert (1963)

 Growing up in Woodand for me was the changing smells caused by the varried winds.  The South  West winds brought the onion smell from Vacaville . The  stockyard smells from Dixon.  Fresh pop corn smells from the Sunset DriveIn theartre.  It was a treat to go to the drive in with my family.  We took our sugar smack cereal because my dad said the popcorn there was to expensive.  Once in awhile my mom woulld take our own popcorn and koolaid in a big jug.   The smell of burning garbage from the old Garbage dump.   The wind carried the smells from the Morman pounds, Sprekels Sugar Co., Sprekels Sugar holding ponds, Marks Feed Lot and slaughter house.   Contadina Cannery, seasonal smells like tomatos and peaches.   Oakland Bean Cleaning in Knights Landing once in awhile.   Numerous Grain Elevators, Grain and Rice Mills surrounding Woodland.   Sanitary Dairy.    A  chicken rendering facility on North and Elm Street  I believe.  Killed them, cleaned them and  wrapped them.    There was a  small slaughter facility north of Kentucky Ave on N College St., Sheep and Hogs I think.   They all had their unique smells I will never forget.  Tar smells from roofing  companies.   The spraying of mosquitos in the Summer.  I'm sure we all have our favorite Woodland smells.

Howard Amen (1966)

Haha. Greg and Bernard, I have to tell you because my wife is making me. Her grandfather was J.G. Motroni. She took offense that you spelled it wrong.. She remembers that there were many little kids that would dig through the scrap pile to make things. She and her siblings would make boats and scooters. I think Rick Tozzi's dad was one of the cabinet makers. I was told that someone was trying to remodel a kitchen and they couldnt get the cabinets apart with just a crowbar, they actually had to use a sledge hammer because how well they built them. 

Anna Lopez (Northam) (1963)

My aunts and my mom and 2 uncles worked at the cannery for many years  a few of them retired from the cannery. 

Gary Wegener (Wegener) (1966)

I still enjoy the smell of fresh mowed alfhalfa fields, and on the downside, whiffs of the sewage ponds or cannery process water treatment fields east of Gibson/102 (though all that got corrected around 15 yrs ago).  And yes, you could always tell you were driving past Vacaville because of the onion smell, but that is gone now and instead, you see a sign for the Vacaville "Cultural" Center.  Who would have thought?

Donald Daily (1961)

One of my favorite smells was the fresh rolled oats we would get from the mill at Beamer and West St. North East corner. We would pick up a bag for the chickens and I could not wait to grab a handfull to put into my mouth still warm, uuumm good. Anybody remember that mill?

Carol Dunton (Stone) (1968)

Thank you David Swigert for describing the wonderful smells around Woodland.  It was nice to grow up in an area where so many smells were part of our upbringing.  But don't forget the smell of airplanes flying by (dropping pesticides near our homes).  I grew up two houses off Gibson Rd with fields being sprayed on the other side of Gibson Rd.  We didn't know what pesticides did to us then but it was such a great childhood!

Bernard Rocksvold (1965)

Howard,

I blame Greg for the spelling mistake....... He's older and should have known better. LMAO!

David Stotts (1965)

Howard-To follow up on your post about Motroni's Lumber Company.  My mother Reta Stotts was the office manager there for many years.  I worked there for a couple of summers and on my Christmas vacations (doing their yearly inventory-counting every paint brush, nuts and bolts, etc.).  You are correct-Rick Tozzi's dad was one of the bosses at the mill part of Motroni's.  Ron Carston worked at the mill for years. Our one time Mayor Frank Heard (Stan's dad) ran the company.  Doug Motroni was one of the owners-not sure about Frank.  I had the pleasure of working for Cliff Harder in the yard those couple of summers-great guy.  Steven Gillete was working there full time.  I remember going out on the truck with deliveries with loads of lumber and 100 lb sacks of cement.  Pretty sure it was Doyle Phillips dad (nice man) that I worked with on those deliveries-correct me if I'm wrong.  Fun place to work-the people that worked there stayed on for years.  It was one of Woodland's long time establishments.

Doyle Phillips (1961)

Dave, Joe Motroni, Doug father hired Frank Heard in 32 at the age of 18 to be Bookkeeper and sales person for the J.G.Motroni Mill and lumber Company.  Frank became a partner in the company and they changed the name to Motroni / Heard Lumber Company.  In 32 when Joe hired Frank Doug was only 11.  Frank was first elected Mayor in 51 then again in 54 and 56. Yes, my dad was J.D. or John and worked there many years. 

Marilyn Millsap (Thompson) (1961)

I remember driving home from college in the bay area and turning onto Rd 98, rolling down the windows and smelling that wonderful dirt/alfalfa/tomato smell and being glad to be back in the country.

Theresa Eve (1964)

David, Marilyn, and all our Woodland Country lovers; the smell of all the crops and industry around Yolo County is totally so part of our youth growning up around agriculture.  

Joel Childers (1966)

We had 3 walnut trees in our back yard. I remember when we were kids we would fill gunny sacks with walnuts and haul them down 3rd St then Beamer St to Motroni Heard Lumber Co. Someone there would pay us for the walnuts. Now, it seems strange that a lumber company would buy walnuts. Was there another business near Motroni's perhaps that bought walnuts?

Theresa Eve (1964)

Joel:  There was the Woodland Nut Company, owned by Mr. and Mrs. William Coombs; 1950s. They lived off Kentucky Avenue, believe Rd. 98b,  near the highway toward Yolo.   My dad worked for Mr. Coombs during the summers.  I always picked up the black walnuts and was paid by the Woodland Nut Company.  Our family stayed one summer in the the Coombs' fabulous home with a pool.  Wonderful memories.  

Janet Long (Levers) (1966)

Because we had no computer teachers/classes by the time I graduated, I am basically tech-illiterate and thus could not load it myself, so Gary has loaded Dr. Wm. Robinson's obituary under OtherObits. It's really worth reading--will take you back to the Woodland of our early days.

Kay Most (Chapman) (1962)

Thank you, Gary Weggener, for the info on the cannery and that it's now fully automated and looking good (Pacific Coast Producers).  Nice to know things are still going along there.  And I am impressed at the great memory many of you have....David Swiggert, you did a terrific job remembering the sites of all the smells.  I guess for where we lived, I most loved the smell of fresh alfalfa at that time.  Nice trips down memory lane.

Theresa Eve (1964)

With a little research I found that the Woodland Nut Company I knew, is now known as the Woodland Nut Oil Company, same location on Road 98b.  

Joan Richter (Lucchesi) (1960)

Woodland Nut Oil Company is still in the Coombs family. Bill and Nonnie,1961, are still there and I think at least one of their children are running it.  It is still at the same location.

Bernard Rocksvold (1965)

Joel,

The nut company you were going to was off of the east side of Fifth St. half a block south of Beamer, down a long driveway. The back of the nut company was up against the south fence of Motroni's. I sold many a bag of walnuts there. It was easier to get to Motroni's scap bin, from my house, by jumping the fence behind the nut company.

Richard Zobel (1960)

I woud like to follow up on Paul Aoki's comment about the impact of tomato harvesters on the farming economy, and on the Hard Tomato story.  Paul's uncle's name came up a number of times at our house, he was one of the "good growers"!  Anyway, to get to the story:

In the 50"s and into the early 60's tomatoes were hand harvested.  I think the record was 17 boxes per hour for one worker.  These were mostly seasonal mexican workers (called, unfortunately, "wetbacks") brought into California for the harvest season. In the early 60's local labor organized and forced (socially and politically) out the mexican, per box, workers in favor of hourly labor. {not to mention that the inexpensive mexican labor pool dried up - political decisions}  This nearly killed the small farmers, because the costs per worker went up and productivity went way down (no stimulus when you are working per hour and not per box). Thus the big push for a harvester.  The UCD harvester was in competition with one being developed by Buttons over in Winters.  After Buttons died in an airplane crash, many of his novel ideas were incorporated in the UCD harvester.  And, yes, when you change the technology, many other things have to change - big bulk trailers, bigger tractors,,,,!

The advent of a harvester paralleled the development of a tomato that could tolerate the abuse. The varieties coming out of UCD (the breeder was professor Hanna) were taste tested for quality as well a chemically tested for canning pruposes.  Since Hanna's varieties were produced at UCD, they were provided to other breeders who took them and did further development work.  I should comment that the results were not very positive for Yolo county farmers.  Other than Hanna's varieties, the tomtoes became increasingly less well adapted to Yolo county soils and weather, as well as tasteless.  Less adapted tomatoes means smaller harvests compared to other growing areas, and thus another negative economic factor.

The company growers, company canners, and company breeders were the ultimate beneficiaries of some very good Yolo County efforts to stabilize farming, and maintain production of tomatoes.  Those who dislike "hard tomatoes" also need to point to UCD where the techniques for artificially ripening tomatoes were initially developed.  This has lead to harvesting early and then ripening after shipping, result: hard tomatoes, even if the same tomatoes when ripened on the plant are not hard and are delicious.

If you like tomatoes, support the local small farmers and get them at a farmers market.  Vine ripened, locally, is the best.  I think you will find that true for many other crops, and even meat and eggs.

Michele Matter (Timko) (1965)

I still enjoy the sweet smell of the grasses and watch the crops grow a little every day as I drive down the country roads home. 

Greg Kareofelas (1962)

Howard  You are right (apologize to your wife) I know the correct spelling, just a "not paying attention typo". My Grandma and Grandpa lived in a "MOTRONI built house. That gorgeous brick house at 51 Pershing Ave in the Beamer park area. This was part of the paper bag that once held nails that I found in their garage. I wanted it because the phone number was "10", I thought that was so cool that Motroni's had the tenth phone in Woodland (I'm now not sure that was the case, but to little kid Greg, he thought that :-) )

Greg Kareofelas (1962)

Bernard, you are right - ,that was the place we sold Black Walnuts, it was not Motronis, just next to them

 Hers's another Black Walnut memory, If you ever had a "Real Chocolate Sundae" at the counter when Leitholds was in the building that Ludy's is in. The nuts they sprinkled on the sundae were Not English Walnuts, almonds or any other inferior nut, they used Black Walnuts finely chopped. It is a real chore to get into a Black walnut, but the taste of that on a sundae is a real treat and worth the effort. At least once a year, I pick up a couple of black walnuts, crack them and manage to get enough to put on a sundae and bring back a pleasant Woodland memory

As far as smells, everyone has just about hit all that I can remember, other than, if the wind blew just right, we could get the "Onion Smell" from the dryer in Vacaville?

Vern Larson (1960)

And who could ever forget the putrid smell of driving behind a beet pulp truck!