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.
The growing of wine grapes in the El Dorado County area has a proud history dating back to Gold Rush days. In 1855, there were already 3,000 grape vines in El Dorado County alone and 1870 records show the county produced 108,981 gallons of wine that year.
El Dorado County had a reported population of only 10,300 at the time. Around 1860, James Skinner, a Scotland native, planted one of the first and one of the largest vineyards in the county, at Green Valley, now known as Rescue. His operation was capable of turning out 15,000 gallons of wine, brandy and vinegar a year. By the early 1880s, Skinner's property housed a large two-story distillery and boilerhouse, operated by a six-horsepower engine. The fire-proof, below-ground wine cellar had storage space for 15,000 gallons and the press room, which occupied the second story, was almost level with the outside ground.
David Bennett, who left his native Ohio a poor man, arrived in Deer Creek in 1854. By hard work and determination, he was able to sign purchase papers just three years later on a beautiful 360-acre parcel of land just two-and-a-half miles from Shingle Springs. A devastating fire early on, which destroyed his barn and its contents, may have slowed him up, but it couldn't hold him back. Before long, he was seriously in the grape-growing business, listing as his assets some 10,000 vines, as well as an orchard.
Another of the oldest vineyards in the county was known as the Bugbee farm, which was purchased in 1877 by John L. Houx, a Missouri native who had come to Yolo County with his parents when he was just three years old. Two years after his marriage to Mary Viola Gray, Houx was busy improving this 220 acre spread, which would eventually be harvesting
grapes from 20,000 vines, located on the stage road from Folsom to Placerville.
Possibly the most prolific operation in the county was run by Henry Mette, who was able to harvest 35,000 to 40,000 gallons of the state's finest wine and 7,000 gallons of the best brandy. All this on 80 acres of vineyard, so it's reported. Mette, a native of Hanover, Germany, had tried his hand at gold mining when he first arrived in the area sometime after 1850. Through his mining efforts, he was able to save enough money to purchase his little bit of Eden, measuring a total of 250 prime El Dorado County acres.
Lewis Stroup, who brought his wife and family to Sacramento in 1856, so he could mine, eventually saved enough to purchase one of the smaller pieces of property in the area, some 50-60 acres of land near Salmon Falls Township. Of this acreage, 30 were devoted to vineyard. The property, which was only partially developed when Stroup purchased it, took a lot of work to turn it into the fine property it was professed to be in the latter days of the last century.
Another of the larger spreads was run by Hugo T. Hart, who was born in 1827 near Rotterdam, Holland. Hart, who began his lifetime adventure at age 14, left home for a life at sea. On the next to the last day of 1850, he arrived in San Francisco. After teaming up with five others, he left for the El Dorado County gold mines. Eventually, after he had stashed away some money from his mining ventures in the area of Mormon Island, he became the owner of some 200
acres of fine land and 14,000 producing vines, which he planted in 1858, making his one of the oldest vineyards in the area.
Gerget Wubbena, another native of Hanover, Germany, probably had the largest spread, encompassing about 700 acres, which he divided between his wine and brandy making operations as well as the raising of cattle and horses. At the age of 27, after 14 years at sea, Wubbena arrived in California, where he promptly found work as a stage driver. In 1853, with his savings, he bought squatter's title to his farm, which by the early 1880 was planted with some 15,000 grape vines.
Nearby, on Sweetwater Creek, Jacob Zentgraf had been operating his vineyard since 1854, but an earlier owner of the property, a Mr. Stevens, had already planted 32 vines back in 1849. When Zentgraf bought him out, he continued to expand the operation until he was running a 420-acre farm, which became known primarily for its distillery, which he set up in 1859. Today, Zentgraf's place can be seen shortly after turning onto Deer Valley Road from Green Valley Road.
For a time, the grape industry in the county slowed, but today it is once again thriving. New vintners are springing up all over the Sierra foothills. You only have to take a Sunday drive along the narrow, but picturesque roads of El Dorado County to imagine its history.
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: 4 January 2005