Return to the El Dorado County Page Return to El Dorado County TalesWritten by Joanne Burkett from research taken from Paolo Sioli's History of El Dorado County California, from El Dorado Co. birth, marriage, death and land records and often from interviews.
El Dorado County pioneer Caleb Gardner Carpenter overcame more than his share of tragedy to become one of the county's most prosperous farmers.
Caleb was born March 14, 1817 to Nathan and Sibyl Carpenter, of Chenango County, N.Y. There would be four other children to survive to adulthood.
After receiving the basic education of his time, adventure called and he left the family home at the age of 21, spending six years working his way throughout what was then called the Western States. In 1844, he settled in for a seven-year stretch in Chicago, where he engaged in merchandising until a life changing opportunity presented itself.
The year 1851 marked two important milestones for Caleb, both changing the circumstances of his life.
It was the year he took a bride, Sarah Payne, a native of England, five years his junior. Meanwhile, the California Gold Rush was well under way. Caleb saw the opportunity, so he and Sarah boarded ship, sailing around the Isthmus of Panama, as had so many before them.
From San Francisco they journeyed to Diamond Springs, where he tried his luck at gold mining.
As so many others, he soon realized that the best way to earn a living was to serve the needs of the other miners, thus he opened a brewing business. Three years later, he had enough to purchase his own tract of land in Diamond Springs. The land would prove to be fertile and Caleb became known for his successful orchards.
Along the way, he and Sarah had started a family. Caleb was born around 1853, Nathan in 1856, Sarah in 1859, Walter in 1861 and Mary Louella in 1864. Nathan would go by his middle name, Tracy. At the time of the 1870 census, all five children were still living at home.
Over the next years, Caleb and his family built a family fruit growing business that, by the early 1880s, included nearly 600 trees: 2,000 apple, 2,000 pear, 500 each of peach and plum, 50 each of apricot and almond, as well as numerous walnut, quince, nectarine, chestnut, mulberry, oranges, lemon, fig, pomegranate and persimmon trees. Additionally, they made brandy and wine from the 125,000 grape vines they grew.
The family's brandy was of superior quality, garnering first place premiums at the State Fair as well as other fairs.
In 1882, their 18 year-old brandy was selling for $10 per gallon.
Of course, Caleb was a member of the Grange, in Placerville, and was, in fact, twice named Grange master. It's said that he breathed new life into the organization when it was on the decline.
All of this success, though, was not attained without sacrifice. In 1877, some of Caleb's property was destroyed by fire and the following year, the family home and its surroundings burned to the ground.
From later land records, it appears that Walter followed in his father's footsteps as a landowner in the county.
Life dealt Caleb and his children a low blow in 1879, when Sarah, his wife, died. She was 58.
By the time of the 1880 census, Sarah's daughter and namesake, 21-year-old Sarah, was married to William Wiltse, a merchant 22 years her senior. The couple had a four month-old daughter. Her older brothers, Frank and Tracy, were also living with her by then.
By 1882, when their brandy was selling at its peak, Caleb's farm was considered one of the most beautiful and prosperous in the county.
In 1891, he had purchased additional land and in December 1895, Walter became a separate landowner.
In his last years, Caleb, who had spent his youth in exploring the country, was a settled man, quietly farming his property and living a life of relative contentment.
Permission is granted by the author to use or republish this article, but proper attribution to the author -- Joanne Burkett -- is requested.
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Last Updated on: 21 February 2004