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103-705: John Rock was born Johannes Rock in Germany, on August 19, 1838. He immigrated to the United States in 1852 and fought on the Union side in the Civil War before settling in California in 1863. John Rock had three nursery locations in San Jose, California , on Coyote Creek. The catalog for "Rock's Nurseries" for 1885 says that John Rock had 19 years of experience in California, putting

206-407: A semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification BSh , bordering BSk ), with cool, mild winters and long, hot, dry summers. December and January are the coldest months, averaging 47.5 °F (8.6 °C) and 48.0 °F (8.9 °C), respectively; mornings see temperatures at or below freezing, with the coldest night of the year typically bottoming out around 29 °F (−1.7 °C). July

309-600: A district of the city of Laubach in the district of Gießen in the state of Hessen in the Federal Republic of Germany. Johannes Rock changed his name to John Rock, possibly when he came to the United States. Some sources incorrectly say that his parents were named Roch or that Johann Fels was his birth name. Church and family records in Germany say that his birth name was Johannes Rock and that his parents were Johann Heinrich Rock V. (1814-1892) and Catharina (born Feldmann) (1811-1861). By one account John Rock immigrated to

412-578: A lake, three small ponds, seven picnic areas, and five miles (8 km) of multipurpose trails that are part of the San Joaquin River Parkway's Lewis S. Eaton Trail. When complete, the Lewis S. Eaton trail system will cover 22 miles (35 km) between Highway 99 and Friant Dam. The park's amphitheatre was renovated in 2010, and has hosted performances by acts such as Deftones , Tech N9ne , and Sevendust as well as numerous others. Woodward Park hosts

515-455: A nursery enterprise. A tract of 500 acres of land near Niles, Alameda county, has been purchased and leased for 15 years to the association, and improvements will begin at once. It is expected to have trees ready for delivery in the fall of 1886. Messrs. Rock & Fox will continue to sell their present stock, and will propagate no more fruit trees on their San Jose establishments but will confine their attention to ornamental growths." The property

618-595: A palm in 1879, a little palm in a pot, and I planted it in my garden in Berkeley, and that palm is today the most handsome and largest palm in the City of Berkeley — it must be 40 feet high and 30 feet across its branches. I see it every day that I am at home and never pass it without thinking that that palm stands as a monument to the life and service of John Rock in its community. It is stalwart, symmetrical and beautiful and sheds its beauty among all its environments; so Rock stood among

721-603: A partnership with the CNC with the goal of patenting and then marketing Etter's best apple varieties. The CNC introduced six Etter varieties in its 1945 catalog, including Pink Pearl . A seventh variety was introduced later. The CNC ultimately became the largest firm of its kind west of the Rockies. It was located close enough to the San Francisco Bay Area that it became a destination for gardeners and horticulturists. From 1932 to

824-573: A predecessor of the Fresno Irrigation District. In 1872, the Central Pacific Railroad established a station near Easterby's—by now a hugely productive wheat farm—for its new Southern Pacific line. Soon there was a store near the station and the store grew into the town of Fresno Station, later called Fresno. At that time, Mariposa street was the main artery, a rough dusty or muddy depression. Many Millerton residents, drawn by

927-409: A result of the sting. In the early 2000s, Fresno's two major venues were built, Chukchansi Park (2002) and Save Mart Center (2003). The 2017 Fresno shootings resulted in the death of 4 people. Fresno has a total area of 116 square miles (300 km ) with 98.96% land covering 114.79 square miles (297.3 km ), and 1.04% water, 1.21 square miles (3.1 km ). Fresno's location, very near

1030-535: A small wooden depot in 1872. In 1889, the Southern Pacific Railroad, which had acquired Central Pacific, constructed a new depot on the original depot site. The brick Queen Anne style depot was a jewel for the city and is one of Fresno's oldest standing buildings. In 1971, 99 years after it first opened for business on its current site, the Depot closed its rail operations due to the decline in business. Between

1133-401: A state wide reputation, until there is, probably, next to Luther Burbank, no name better known throughout California." John Rock was remembered by E.J. Wickson , at the 1911-1912 Pacific Coast Association of Nurserymen: "He has gone to his reward, but his memory will always be honored by every nurseryman who ever knew him — Mr. John Rock, who began in this community in a small way and built up

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1236-565: A third of a century was John Rock, to whose memory a touching tribute by Mr. Kruckeberg was published in the report of the second annual meeting of the California Association of Nurserymen. Mr. Rock was more widely and deeply grounded in pomological knowledge than any of his contemporaries. To him came first the vision of the greatness of nursery enterprise of which California is capable and he lived to see his pioneer conception of such greatness attained not only in his own enterprise, but in

1339-433: A troubled gestation during which its creator resigned, BankAmericard went on to become the world's first successful credit card . This financial instrument was usable across a large number of merchants and also allowed cardholders to revolve a balance (earlier financial products could do one or the other but not both). In 1970, BankAmericard was spun off into a separate company, and in 1976, that company became Visa Inc. In

1442-670: A year before the California Nursery Company was established in Niles. In 1884, the California Nursery Company was established in Niles , California (now a district in Fremont). The December 6, 1884 Pacific Rural Press announced "Nursery Enterprise.--It seems to be the time for great things in the nursery business. It is now announced that John Rock, R. D. Fox, James Hutchison, Thomas Meherin and Wm. J. Landers have associated themselves together in

1545-409: Is 75 mi (121 km). The city is located near several Sierra Nevada lakes including Bass Lake , Shaver Lake , and Huntington Lake . Fresno is also only two and a half hours from Monterey , Carmel , Big Sur and the central coast. Because Fresno sits at the junction of Highways 41 and 99 (SR 41 is Yosemite National Park's southern access road, and SR 99 bypasses Interstate 5 to serve

1648-486: Is a National Historic Landmark as well as a Superfund site. Before World War II, Fresno had many ethnic neighborhoods, including Little Armenia, German Town, Little Italy, and Chinatown . In 1940, the Census Bureau reported Fresno's population as 94.0% white, 3.3% black and 2.7% Asian. Chinatown was primarily a Japanese neighborhood and today few Japanese-American businesses remain. During 1942, Pinedale , in what

1751-482: Is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California , United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about 115 square miles (300 km ) and had a population of 542,107 as of the 2020 census , making it the fifth-most populous city in California , the most populous inland city in California, and the 34th-most populous city in

1854-425: Is an increased presence of southeastern wind directions in the wind rose statistics. Fresno meteorology was selected in a national U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study for analysis of equilibrium temperature for use of ten-year meteorological data to represent a warm, dry western United States locale. The official record high temperature for Fresno is 115 °F (46.1 °C), set on July 8, 1905, while

1957-494: Is destined to become historic in California horticultural development. He had, in a marked degree, the mind and temperament calculated to stimulate fruit growing along sane and intelligent lines. Value was ever uppermost in his mind; no fruit, tree or plant commended itself to him unless it possessed utility or beauty, or both. So pronounced was he in this respect, that he never adopted a new fruit without first testing it out on his experiment grounds. Intensely in love with his work, it

2060-521: Is known as the center of Fresno's LGBT and hipster communities. The area is also known for its early twentieth century homes, many of which have been restored in recent decades. The area includes many California Bungalow and American Craftsman style homes, Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture , Mediterranean Revival Style architecture , Mission Revival Style architecture , and many Storybook houses designed by Fresno architects, Hilliard, Taylor & Wheeler. The residential architecture of

2163-420: Is near the geographic center of California, approximately 220 miles (350 km) north of Los Angeles , 170 miles (270 km) south of the state capital, Sacramento , and 185 miles (300 km) southeast of San Francisco . Yosemite National Park is about 60 miles (100 km) to the north, Kings Canyon National Park 60 miles (100 km) to the east, and Sequoia National Park 75 miles (120 km) to

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2266-428: Is no wonder that he spent thousands of dollars in exploiting new and little known fruits and plants, many of which proved worthless; nor that, on the other hand, his untiring zeal in the development of California horticulture has been the direct means of introducing a larger number of varieties of fruits and plants into this State than any other one man. His well known continuity of purpose was as pronounced as his ambition

2369-477: Is now North Fresno, was the site of the Pinedale Assembly Center , an interim facility for the relocation of Fresno area Japanese Americans to internment camps . The Fresno Fairgrounds were also utilized as an assembly center. Row crops and orchards gave way to urban development particularly in the period after World War II; this transition was particularly vividly demonstrated in locations such as

2472-533: Is often cited for the establishment of the California Nursery Company and has caused much confusion. Charles Burr, a longtime employee of the nursery said in 1970 that 1865 was "used as the beginning date of the California Nursery for purposes of anniversaries." The date of 1865 is the establishment of "Rock's Nurseries" in San Jose, not the California Nursery Company. Sometime around or before the 1906-1907 catalog,

2575-544: Is the lowest with only 42 percent of the daylight time in sunlight because of tule fog . However, the year averages 81% of possible sunshine, for a total of 3550 hours. Average annual precipitation is around 11 inches (279 mm). Most of the wind rose direction occurrences derive from the northwest, as winds are driven downward along the axis of the California Central Valley ; in December, January and February there

2678-415: Is the warmest month, averaging 83.5 °F (28.6 °C); normally, there are 38 days of 100 °F (37.8 °C)+ highs and 113 days of 90 °F (32.2 °C)+ highs, and between July and August, there are only 3.6 days where the high does not reach 90 °F (32.2 °C). Summers provide considerable sunshine, with July exceeding 96 percent of the total possible sunlight hours; conversely, December

2781-475: The Armenian and Hmong communities. In 1920, Armenians comprised 9% of the population of the city of Fresno, with 4,000 Armenian residents at the time. Old Armenian Town was the old Armenian neighborhood in the center of Fresno. The Hmong community of Fresno , along with that of Minneapolis–Saint Paul , is one of the largest two urban U.S. ethnic Hmong communities, with just over 24,000 people, or about 5% of

2884-508: The Blackstone Avenue corridor. Fresno's geographical remoteness also made it an early pioneer in the field now known as fintech , long before the term was invented. In September 1958, Bank of America launched a new product called BankAmericard in Fresno. The city was specifically selected in part for its remoteness, to limit damage to the bank's image in case the project failed. After

2987-529: The Federal Bureau of Investigation 's Operation Rezone sting resulted in several prominent Fresno and Clovis politicians being charged in connection with taking bribes in return for rezoning farmland for housing developments. Before the sting brought a halt to it, housing developers could buy farmland cheaply, pay off council members to have it rezoned, and make a large profit building and selling inexpensive housing. Sixteen people were eventually convicted as

3090-648: The Shinzen Japanese Gardens , boasts numerous picnic areas and several miles of trails. It is in North Fresno and is adjacent to the San Joaquin River Parkway . Roeding Park , near Downtown Fresno, is home to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo , and Rotary Storyland and Playland . Kearney Park is the largest of the Fresno region's park system and is home to historic Kearney Mansion and plays host to

3193-450: The "rain year" from July 1982 to June 1983 down to 4.43 inches (112.5 mm) from July 1933 to June 1934. The most rainfall in one month was 9.54 inches (242.3 mm) in November 1885 and the most rainfall in 24 hours was 3.55 inches (90.2 mm) on November 18, 1885. Measurable precipitation falls on an average of 46.5 days annually. Snow is a rarity; the heaviest snowfall at the airport

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3296-730: The 1880s and World War II, Downtown Fresno flourished, filled with electric streetcars, and contained a number of "lavish" and "opulent" buildings. Among them, the original Fresno County Courthouse (demolished), the Fresno Carnegie Public Library (demolished), the Old Fresno Water Tower , the Bank of Italy Building , the Pacific Southwest Building , the San Joaquin Light and Power Building (currently known as

3399-420: The 1960s, Fresno suffered numerous demolitions of historic buildings, including the old Fresno County Courthouse and the original buildings of Edison High School . This was the result of car-centric urban planning focused on making more room for cars and parking lots, a commonplace approach in the United States at that time. The dance style commonly known as popping evolved in Fresno in the 1970s. In 1995,

3502-405: The 1990 census, it moved up to 47th place with 354,000, and in the census of 2000, it achieved 37th place with 428,000. The Fresno Municipal Sanitary Landfill was the first modern landfill in the United States, and incorporated several important innovations to waste disposal, including trenching, compacting, and the daily covering of trash with dirt. It was opened in 1937 and closed in 1987. It

3605-879: The 463-acre nursery are a park in the Niles District of Fremont, California. The archives of Rock's Nurseries and the California Nursery Company are in several locations: at the California Nursery Historical Park, managed by the Math Science Nucleus, at the Fremont Main branch of the Alameda County Library, and at the Washington Township Museum of Local History . Fresno, California Fresno ( / ˈ f r ɛ z n oʊ / ; Spanish for ' Ash tree ')

3708-434: The California Nursery Company 13 years after the death of John Rock in 1917. With this purchase, he gained a significant "test orchard" of fruit and nut trees. Roeding wrote about John Rock's "Mother Orchard" and his own specimen trees from his Fancher Creek nurseries in a 1926 publication, "Budwood, scions and cuttings : (embracing over 1000 varieties) from record performance fruit trees" Rock's specimen orchard book from

3811-412: The California Nursery Company in Niles was established. The San Jose City Directory for 1887 has advertisements for both "Rock's Nurseries" and the California Nursery Company. The directory for 1892 still listed John Rock under the "nurseries" category. He sold "Fruit & Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, Roses, Flowering Plants, Etc." Several photos of Rock's Nurseries exist. The California Nursery Company

3914-477: The Fig Garden Christmas Tree Lane, which is a nationally recognized event. There is also an upscale swim and racquet club located in northwestern Fig garden, which has multiple amenities including a heated lap pool, massage therapy, daycare, etc. Towards the northern boundary there is a shopping center called Fig Garden Village which hosts a plethora of upscale shopping opportunities. Fresno has

4017-649: The Fruit Interest of Santa Clara County; Immense Tracts of Orchards -- Who supplies the trees -- A Progressive Nursery." His first nursery was 3 acres near Alviso. He next secured 40 acres "adjoining Lathrop's addition." His final nursery was 190 acres on the Milpitas Road. His nursery filled orders for Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, and Washington. A depot was located in downtown San Jose for the convenience of his customers. Rock continued to sell nursery stock through his "Rock's Nurseries" (at least until 1892) even after

4120-684: The Grand 1401), and the Hughes Hotel (burned down), to name a few. Fulton Street in Downtown Fresno was Fresno's main financial and commercial district before being converted into one of the nation's first pedestrian malls in 1964. Renamed the Fulton Mall , the area contains the densest collection of historic buildings in Fresno. While the Fulton Mall corridor has suffered a sharp decline from its heyday,

4223-638: The Great Unknown. A familiar name and figure has gone-- a man and friend of sterling qualities is no more; one in whose judgment and abilities vast numbers of people and even governments have securely rested in horticultural matters can advise no longer. We mourn his loss". Rock is buried about 3 miles north of the California Nursery Company at the Chapel of the Chimes. The San Jose Daily Mercury wrote "In

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4326-620: The Hatch & Rock orchard in Biggs: "Mr Rock is one of the most experienced nurserymen in California and he devoted much time to collecting the finest olives in Europe. For this purpose, he visited all the noted olive regions of Spain, France, and Italy and has had agents in every locality to obtain the best olives in the world. As a result, the Rio Bonito orchard contains 156 varieties of olives, which include all

4429-517: The Hispanic population, 42.7% of the total population are Mexican , 0.4% Salvadoran , and 0.4% Puerto Rican . Non-Hispanic Whites were 30.0% of the population in 2010, down from 72.6% in 1970. The Census reported that 485,798 people (98.2% of the population) lived in households, 4,315 (0.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 4,552 (0.9%) were institutionalized. There were 158,349 households, of which 68,511 (43.3%) had children under

4532-626: The Mall includes some of the finest public art pieces in the country, including a casting of Pierre-Auguste Renoir 's bronze "The Washer Woman", reportedly the only one of the six castings that one can walk up to and touch. In October 2017, the City of Fresno finished and opened Fulton Mall to traffic, becoming Fulton Street. This change was celebrated with a large public parade featuring current mayor Lee Brand and former mayor Ashley Swearengin. The public art pieces will be restored and placed near their current locations and will feature wide sidewalks (up to 28' on

4635-476: The Palo Alto estate of California tycoon Leland Stanford . Later, in addition to its wholesale business, the nursery started a retail operation with ornamental trees and plants for homes and gardens. John Rock was interested in creating new plant hybrids and worked with West Coast plant breeders like Luther Burbank. His 1888 catalog featured some 500 varieties of fruit trees, 700 ornamental shrubs, and 270 roses. By

4738-685: The San Joaquin Valley was Pedro Fages in 1772. The county of Fresno was formed in 1856 after the California Gold Rush and was named for the abundant ash trees (Spanish: fresno) lining the San Joaquin River . The San Joaquin River flooded on December 24, 1867, inundating Millerton . Some residents rebuilt, others moved. Flooding also destroyed the town of Scottsburg on the nearby Kings River that winter. Rebuilt on higher ground, Scottsburg

4841-572: The Santa Clara Valley and worked at Lick's Mill for James Lick in 1864. Rock was naturalized as an American citizen in 1864 in San Jose, California. Rock married Annie B. Steiger in February 1875. John Rock established his "Rock's Nurseries" along Coyote Creek in 1865. One of the earliest advertisements (1868) was for mulberry and fruit trees. It says that "J. Rock's Alviso Nursery" was on Coyote Creek across from Lick's Mill. The first nursery

4944-411: The Santa Clara Valley are available for the years 1873-1888 are available from UC Davis. Advertisements for both the California Nursery Company and Rock's Nurseries are printed in directories and newspapers at least up to 1887. At first, the nursery was a wholesaler providing grape vines , roses, ornamentals, and fruit trees to California's growing agricultural industry. Early on it supplied plants for

5047-718: The Tower District contrasts with the newer areas of tract homes urban sprawl in north and east areas of Fresno. In the northeastern part of Fresno, Woodward Park was founded by the late Ralph Woodward, a long-time Fresno resident. He bequeathed a major portion of his estate in 1968 to provide a regional park and bird sanctuary in Northeast Fresno. The park lies on the southern bank of the San Joaquin River between Highway 41 and Friant Road. The initial 235 acres (0.95 km ), combined with additional acres acquired later by

5150-528: The Tower, the Farmers' market opened on the northwest corner of Olive and Van Ness and LitHop, an annual literary festival, featuring mostly local writers. The neighborhood features restaurants, live theater and nightclubs, as well as several independent shops and bookstores on or near Olive Avenue. Since renewal, the Tower District has become an attractive area for restaurant and other local businesses. The Tower District

5253-658: The United States aboard the William Tapscott from Liverpool in June 1857 and arrived in New York on August 19, 1857. John Rock enlisted in the 5th Regiment, New York Infantry on April 25, 1861, (or April 11, 1861 ) also known as Duryee's Zouaves . He served for two years and mustered out on May 14, 1863. After his discharge, John Rock headed to California by way of Panama. He arrived in San Francisco on June 19, 1863. He settled in

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5356-555: The United States when he was 15. However, his passport in 1889 for a trip to Germany says that he was 19 years old and that he had lived in Rochester, New York and in San Jose, California from 1857 to 1887. For a time he worked for various florists and nurseries, including Ellwanger & Barry in Rochester, New York. He may have worked for the Genesee Valley Nurseries. His passport in 1889 indicates that he immigrated to

5459-484: The Upward Extension Act of 1907 to offer lower-division college-level coursework to local high school graduates who wanted to attend college but were reluctant to move hundreds of miles away to do so. The high school's Collegiate Department evolved into Fresno City College , the oldest community college in California and the second oldest in the United States. In the 1920s and 1930s, Fresno State Teachers College

5562-448: The age of 18 living in them, 69,284 (43.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 30,547 (19.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 11,698 (7.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 12,843 (8.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 1,388 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 35,064 households (22.1%) were made up of individuals, and 12,344 (7.8%) had someone living alone who

5665-592: The annual California Interscholastic Federation State Championship cross country meet. It is the home of the Woodward Shakespeare Festival which began performances in the park in 2005. Located in the western portion of Fresno, Old Fig Garden is an unincorporated community that, over time, has been completely encircled by the city of Fresno. Fig Garden was created in 1947, as the then-known Fig Garden Men's club achieved nonprofit corporate status, allowing itself to have much more governance. In 1979,

5768-580: The annual Civil War Revisited, the largest reenactment of the Civil War in the west coast of the U.S. In its 2023 ParkScore ranking, The Trust for Public Land , a national land conservation organization, reported that Fresno had one of the worst park systems among the 100 most populous U.S. cities, with only 5% of city land being used for parks and recreation. The survey measures median park size, park acres as percent of city area, residents' access to parks, spending on parks per resident, and playgrounds per 10,000 residents. The Central Pacific Railroad built

5871-407: The association, and improvements will begin at once. It is expected to have trees ready for delivery in the fall of 1886. Messrs. Rock & Fox will continue to sell their present stock, and will propagate no more fruit trees in their San Jose establishments but will confine their attention to ornamental growths. The property was bought from Jonas Gilman Clark . The 1886-87 descriptive catalog lists

5974-440: The city was 50.2% White , 8.4% Black or African American , 1.6% Native American , 11.2% Asian (about a third of which is Hmong ), 0.1% Pacific Islander , 23.4% from other races , and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 39.9% of the population. There were 140,079 households, of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 17.6% had

6077-698: The city's population, being of Hmong descent. The 2010 United States Census reported that Fresno had a population of 494,665. The population density was 4,404.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,700.6/km ). The racial makeup of Fresno was 245,306 (49.6%) White , 40,960 (8.3%) African American , 8,525 (1.7%) Native American , 62,528 (12.6%) Asian (3.6% Hmong , 1.7% Indian , 1.2% Filipino , 1.2% Laotian , 1.0% Thai , 0.8% Cambodian , 0.7% Chinese , 0.5% Japanese , 0.4% Vietnamese , 0.2% Korean ), 849 (0.2%) Pacific Islander , 111,984 (22.6%) from other races , and 24,513 (5.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 232,055 persons (46.9%). Among

6180-460: The city, brings the park to a sizable 300 acres (1.2 km ). Now packed with amenities, Woodward Park is the only Regional Park of its size in the Central Valley. The park has a multi-use amphitheatre that seats up to 2,500 people, an authentic Japanese Garden, fenced dog park, bike park, two playgrounds, two-mile (3 km) equestrian trail, exercise par course, three children's playgrounds,

6283-404: The city. Another devastating blaze struck in 1883. In 1909, Fresno's first and oldest synagogue , Temple Beth Israel , was founded. As a result of its remoteness from the great universities of the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Los Angeles , Fresno became a statewide leader in educational innovation. In 1910, Fresno High School was the first California high school to take advantage of

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6386-545: The college moved to what is now the site of Fresno City College one-half mile north of the Tower District. After decades of neglect and suburban flight, the neighborhood revival followed the re-opening of the Tower Theatre in the late 1970s, which at that time showed second- and third-run movies, along with classic films. Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater & Good Company Players also opened nearby in 1978, at Olive and Wishon Avenues. Fresno native Audra McDonald performed in

6489-494: The company announced a new trademark, a logo with a grizzly bear. According to the family, the logo was discontinued because of a conflict with Stark Brothers logo. The nursery later embraced the "Old Adobe" logo after the historic Vallejo adobe was transformed into the nursery's Guest Lodge. One of the earliest appearances of the "Old Adobe" logo appears in the 1945 catalog. The California Nursery Company provided trees and other plants at many world's fairs. Some are: In 1917,

6592-766: The convenience of the railroad and worried about flooding, moved to the new community. Fresno became an incorporated city in 1885. In 1903, the faltering San Joaquin Power Company was renamed the San Joaquin Light and Power Corporation and included the Fresno City Water Company and the Fresno City Railway. By 1931 the railway, now known as the Fresno Traction Company , operated 47 streetcars over 49 miles (79 km) of track. Two years after

6695-500: The date of establishment at around 1865. Rock's Nurseries continued on some time after the establishment of the California Nursery Company. The San Jose City Directory for 1887 has advertisements for both the "California Nursery Company" in Niles and "Rock's Nurseries" in San Jose. There was a "Rock's Nurseries" catalog for 1888. Andrew P. Hill took photos of Rock's Nurseries and the California Nursery Company in Niles. The San Jose Weekly Mercury reported on Rock's Nurseries in 1883, about

6798-421: The death of John Rock the county of Santa Clara loses one of the pioneers in the development of the fruit industry in this section of the state. For the past twenty five years the name of John Rock has been a household word among those who were planting the orchards and developing the gardens of this and adjacent counties. In fact, the extensive nursery business which he developed from small beginnings has gained him

6901-496: The east side of the street) to continue with the pedestrian-friendly environment of the district. The historic Tower Theatre , which is included on the National Register of Historic Places, is the center of the Tower District. The theater was built in 1939 at the corner of Olive and Wishon Avenues. The Tower District neighborhood is just north of downtown Fresno proper, and one-half mile south of Fresno City College. Although

7004-693: The former nursery grounds were turned into a Fremont city park, the California Nursery Historic Park, although the family continued to lease out some land to other nurseries. The California Nursery Garden Club (under various names) has taken care of the gardens surrounding the nursery office since 1994, along with the City of Fremont and the Math / Science Nucleus Catalogs for the California Nursery Company and Fancher Creek Nurseries can be found in these collections: John Rock (American nurseryman) John Rock (August 19, 1838 – August 9, 1904)

7107-401: The geographical center of California, places the city a comfortable distance from many of the major recreation areas and urban centers in the state. Just 60 mi (97 km) south of Yosemite National Park , it is the nearest major city to the park. Likewise, Sierra National Forest is 40 mi (64 km), Kings Canyon National Park is 60 mi (97 km) and Sequoia National Park

7210-584: The late 1800s describes fruit varieties and where they were obtained. John Rock had the largest collection of figs on the Pacific Coast as reported by Gustav Eisen in 1901. The figs came from Thomas Rivers & Son, from France, from the USDA (which had obtained the whole collection of the Royal Horticultural Society of London ), and from local nurserymen. The Oroville Register said in 1893 about

7313-425: The leader of Pacific coast nurserymen. He introduced more valuable plants and varieties to American horticulture than any other man of his period. His connection with Japan, India, Australia and with the great establishments abroad was close and constant. He did much to encourage men like Luther Burbank, and his collections were always at the service of students and the public." Johannes Rock was born in Lauter, today

7416-502: The leading roles of Evita and The Wiz at the theater while she was a high school student. McDonald subsequently became a leading performer on Broadway in New York City and a Tony award -winning actress. Also in the Tower District is Good Company Players' 2nd Space Theatre. The Tower District is a hub for community events such as Jamaica My Weekend, Mardi Gras in February, Gay Pride Parade , car shows, A Taste of The Tower, Halloween in

7519-613: The mid-1960s, the California Nursery hosted annual bulb shows in spring that could draw up to 5000 visitors over a weekend. Frances Baldwin Roeding, wife of George C. Roeding, Jr. helped plan the annual bulb shows. In the summer, the nursery held rose shows. Articles by George C. Roeding, Jr.: Articles in the Tri-City Voice: Articles in journals relating to the California Nursery Company: After 1972, some of

7622-418: The name was changed to Fig Garden Home Owners Association. Fig Garden is unique to the rest of Fresno, as it features largely no sidewalks and is lined with various large trees. The homes are well-maintained and landscaped due to strict regulations from the homeowners association. Due to a tax Fig Garden residences voted for, there is nearly round-the-clock sheriff service within the district. The district hosts

7725-480: The nation. Named for the abundant ash trees lining the San Joaquin River , Fresno was founded in 1872 as a railway station of the Central Pacific Railroad before it was incorporated in 1885. It has since become an economic hub of Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley, with much of the surrounding areas in the Metropolitan Fresno region predominantly tied to large-scale agricultural production. Fresno

7828-451: The neighborhood was known as a residential area, the early commercial establishments of the Tower District began with small shops and services that flocked to the area shortly after World War II. The character of small local businesses largely remains today. To some extent, the businesses of the Tower District were developed due to the proximity of the original Fresno Normal School (later renamed California State University at Fresno ). In 1916,

7931-399: The nursery and that their annual turnover of stock exceeded $ 200,000.The nursery grew a half million roses. A foreign correspondent managed orders from Mexico, Central America, and South America. Other shipments went to China, Japan, India, Italy, Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Denmark, and Russia. In 1940, the northern California plant breeder Albert Etter began

8034-419: The nursery business and finally extended his interests into large commercial enterprises which I hope we shall visit while here. Mr. Rock has always stood to me as an example of what a nurseryman ought to be in his position as an educator to the community, because he possessed at the time when he was most active and energetic, a fuller and truer knowledge of the nursery business than any other man in California. He

8137-522: The nursery was bought by George C. Roeding, owner of Fancher Creek in Fresno and other operations. In July 1918, stock shares were issued to George C. Roeding in exchange for real property. George C. Roeding brought with him a wealth of horticultural and nursery business experience. Roeding's son, George C. Roeding, Jr. took over management of the nurseries in 1926. George C. Roeding died in 1928. The Township Register noted in 1929 that 100 to 150 men worked for

8240-411: The officers. John Rock was President and R. D. Fox was Vice-president; The directors were John Rock, James Hutchison, R. D. Fox, Thos. Meherin, Wm. J. Landers. John Rock was the manager of the nursery. The California Nursery Company grew roses, ornamental trees and shrubs, and fruit and nut trees. A photo of John Rock and R.D. Fox, presumed, was taken in 1887. A photo of Rock, presumed, was taken on

8343-454: The official record low is 17 °F (−8 °C), set on January 6, 1913. The average windows for temperatures of 100 °F (37.8 °C)+ are June 2 through September 15; for temperatures of 90 °F (32.2 °C)+, April 25 through October 10; and for freezing temperatures, December 14 through January 24, although no freeze occurred during the 1983–84 or 2020–21 winter seasons. Annual rainfall has ranged from 23.57 inches (598.7 mm) in

8446-419: The pioneer fruit growers and the more we know of his life and deeds the better we will be able to understand the possibilities of a nurseryman in the community." Henry W. Kruckeberg wrote, "John Rock: a Tribute" in the proceedings of the 1912 California Association of Nurserymen. He did not know Rock personally but collected the remembrances from his living friends. "In more ways than one, the name of John Rock

8549-404: The same road, years later, in Niles on a palm lined road leading to the original administration building. John Rock was an early believer in fruit growing in the state when others did not think fruit growing could be profitable in California. The 1902 catalog describes the fruits and nuts that were grown in the nursery's specimen orchard shortly before Rock's death. George C. Roeding bought

8652-667: The southeast. Fresno is also the third-largest majority-Hispanic city in the United States with 50.5% of its population being Hispanic in 2020. The original inhabitants of the San Joaquin Valley region were the Yokuts people and Miwok people , who engaged in trading with other Californian tribes of Native Americans including coastal peoples such as the Chumash of the Central California coast, with whom they are thought to have traded plant and animal products. The first European to enter

8755-416: The standard and valuable kinds known to man." Catalogs for Rock's Nurseries can be found at UC Davis (1873 to 1888). Catalogs for the California Nursery Company can be found in these collections: John Rock died in 1904. The San Jose Mercury News recognized him as one of 22 Civil War veterans in San Jose who had died in 1904. The 1904-1905 catalog announced his death: "Our beloved Manager has passed into

8858-625: The station was established, county residents voted to move the county seat from Millerton to Fresno. When the Friant Dam was completed in 1944, the site of Millerton became inundated by the waters of Millerton Lake . In extreme droughts, when the reservoir shrinks, ruins of the original county seat can still be observed. In the nineteenth century, with so much wooden construction and in the absence of sophisticated firefighting resources, fires often ravaged American frontier towns. The greatest of Fresno's early-day fires, in 1882, destroyed an entire block of

8961-410: The time Rock died, his nursery had introduced more new plant varieties to California than any other. After Rock's death in 1904, the nursery was managed by W. V. Eberly. William J. Landers, insurance businessman, was associated with the nursery since its beginning. He was President at his death from "Nervous Prostration" in 1908, which he had suffered from since the 1906 fire in San Francisco. In 1918,

9064-409: The undertakings of the later generation. During his forty years of California life, his leadership in his chosen art and industry and the quality of his manhood and citizenship were unquestioned.' After Rock's death, the California Nursery continued with W.V. Eberly as manager and was bought by George C. Roeding in 1917. It continued to be run by the Roeding family until the 1970s. The last 20 acres of

9167-464: The urban centers of the San Joaquin Valley), the city is a major gateway for Yosemite visitors coming from Los Angeles . The city also serves as an entrance into Sierra National Forest via Highway 168 , and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks via Highway 180 . Fresno has three large public parks, two in the city limits and one in county land to the southwest. Woodward Park , which features

9270-453: The words "Established 1865" were added to the front cover along with "Incorporated 1884" and it was carried forward. Another book that was used as "proof" that the California Nursery Company started in 1865 was Pen Pictures of the "Garden of the World." However, it clearly states that John Rock and partners established the California Nursery Company in 1884 in Niles. Catalogs for "Rock's Nurseries" in

9373-470: Was 2.2 inches (5.6 cm) on January 21–22, 1962. See or edit raw graph data . Fresno is the larger principal city of the Fresno-Madera CSA , a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Fresno (Fresno County) and Madera (Madera County) metropolitan areas, which had a combined population of 922,516 at the 2000 census . Fresno is home to numerous ethnic minority communities, such as

9476-403: Was 29.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males. There were 171,288 housing units at an average density of 1,525.2 per square mile (588.9/km ), of which 158,349 were occupied, of which 77,757 (49.1%) were owner-occupied, and 80,592 (50.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6%; the rental vacancy rate

9579-454: Was 48 acres on the Milpitas road. The nursery can be seen on Map 2 of the 1876 Thompson & West map. His neighbor was pioneer nurseryman, B.S. Fox. In 1879, John Rock was on the board of the first California Horticultural Society, along with Charles Howard Shinn , Dr. John Strentzel, W.B. West, and Dr. Behr. The president was Professor E.W. Hilgard, Vice President was J. Lewelling, Secretary

9682-436: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07. There were 111,529 families (70.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.62. The age distribution of the population shows 148,823 people (30.1%) under the age of 18, 62,601 people (12.7%) aged 18 to 24, 135,076 people (27.3%) aged 25 to 44, 102,064 people (20.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 46,101 people (9.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

9785-460: Was 7.6%. 235,430 people (47.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 250,368 people (50.6%) lived in rental housing units. As of the census of 2000, there were 427,652 people, 140,079 households, and 97,915 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,097.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,582.2/km ). There were 149,025 housing units at an average density of 1,427.9 square miles (3,698 km ). The racial makeup of

9888-613: Was E.J. Wickson, and the Treasurer was G.P. Rixford. Around 1880, Rock moved to a location with 138 acres near Wayne Station on the Western Pacific line. This nursery can be seen on "Part of Berryessa & Milpitas Districts Compiled for the Santa Clara Valley" in the Brainard Agricultural Atlas The San Jose Weekly Mercury wrote about John Rock and his nurseries in 1883 "Our Bonanza; Growth of

9991-435: Was a German-born American horticulturalist and nurseryman. John Rock was a leader in California in pomology and the nursery business from 1865 until his death in 1904. Charles Howard Shinn wrote the entry for John Rock in L.H. Bailey's Cyclopedia of Horticulture He said "John Rock's scientific spirit, his wide and ever-increasing knowledge, his very high standards of business and his unselfishness made him during his long life

10094-425: Was a good student and possessed himself of all sources of information; he was a wonderful observer, had a keen eye for fruit or for a plant and, above all, had a sterling honesty and conscientiousness which led everyone who knew him to place implicit confidence in any statement which he might make, and you could trust Rock to give you facts, although it might not be immediately to his interest to do so. John Rock gave me

10197-472: Was at the forefront of the evolution of the state teachers colleges into state colleges offering a broad liberal arts education . The state colleges later became the California State University and Fresno State became California State University, Fresno . Fresno entered the ranks of the 100 most populous cities in the United States in 1960 with a population of 134,000. Thirty years later, in

10300-470: Was bought from Jonas Gilman Clark . An existing adobe building that was built around the 1830s-1840s predates the nursery and is on the National Register of Historic Place. In 1886 the Pacific Rural Press reported on their progress after almost 2 years of operation. In 1888 the Pacific Rural Press wrote about "The Nursery Business" and included several etchings of the new nursery. The year 1865

10403-508: Was established and incorporated in 1884 in the town of Niles (now a district of Fremont, California ). The December 6, 1884, Pacific Rural Press announced "Nursery Enterprise.--It seems to be the time for great things in the nursery business. It is now announced that John Rock, R. D. Fox, James Hutchison, Thomas Meherin and Wm. J. Landers have associated themselves together in a nursery enterprise. A tract of 500 acres of land near Niles, Alameda county, has been purchased and leased for 15 years to

10506-520: Was renamed Centerville. In 1867, Anthony Easterby purchased land bounded by the present Chestnut, Belmont, Clovis and California avenues, that today is called the Sunnyside district . Unable to grow wheat for lack of water, he hired sheep man Moses Church in 1870 to create an irrigation system. Building new canals and purchasing existing ditches, Church then formed the Fresno Canal and Irrigation Company,

10609-451: Was strong and robust. For upwards of forty years he was untiring in his efforts to stimulate, broaden and intensify the importance of California horticulture." E.J. Wickson wrote about John Rock as one of the pioneers of California's nursery business, in California nurserymen and the plant industry, 1850-1910 "The nursery and pomological leader during the later '60s and thereafter for over

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