San Joaquin County Biographies
Ref: Page 751
Transcribed by: Linda Diane Jackson 10/9/2009
DAN W. BIRD
An enthusiastic advocate of the superior possibilities of Lodi and San Joaquin County, and a man whose opinions carry weight in development circles is Dan W. Bird of Lodi. He was born in Whitley County, Ky., January 21, 1855, and when he was fifteen his parents moved to Greene County, Mo., where the father engaged in farming and where Dan W. lived until he was eighteen. He received an education sufficient to enable him to obtain a certificate to teach and for ten years he followed pedagogical pursuits in the schools of Missouri. During his residence in that state he was a county school commissioner in Dade County; later he turned his attention to commercial pursuits and became a traveling salesman for a hardware concern, finally engaging in that business at Lockwood for fifteen years. His next venture was in the drygoods business at Greenfield, the county seat of Dade County. Three years later he came West and in 1901 located in Aberdeen, Wash., remaining one year, then spent 1902 in Portland, Ore., and the following year came to California and located at Lodi, where he found very satisfactory business connections as a bookkeeper and salesman for the Northern Hardware Company.
In 1904 Mr. Bird became associated with John Bewley in the real estate business and later engaged in the real estate, loan and insurance business independently under the firm name of Dan W. Bird & Company and with the passing of the years he has been very successful. He has been a witness of many changes in this section of the county; vineyards that sold in 1903 for $300 per acre now easily bring $2,000 per acre; grain land sold for $100 to $150 per acre. When he landed here Lodi had no depot, no paved streets, nor cement walks; now there are twenty miles of walks and sixteen miles of macadamized streets within the corporate limits.
Well satisfied with the general conditions in Lodi, Mr. Bird erected a modern and costly home in the city and is content to spend his remaining years in the valley he has helped to develop. Fraternally he is a Mason, holding his membership at Lockwood, Mo. Active, progressive and successful, Mr. Bird has been a most energetic worker in the county and brought to bear in all his dealings those principles of honesty and integrity that are the real fundamentals of success.
History of
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY
CALIFORNIA
With A
Biographical Review
of
The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been
Identified with Its Growth and Development
from the Early Days to the Present
HISTORY BY
George H. Tinkham
HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
1923
San Joaquin County Biographies ~ Archive Biography Index ~ Archive Index
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