158-716: The Holt Manufacturing Company began with the 1883 founding of Stockton Wheel Service in Stockton, California , United States. Benjamin Holt , later credited with patenting the first workable crawler ("caterpillar") tractor design, incorporated the Holt Manufacturing Company in 1892. Holt Manufacturing Company was the first company to successfully manufacture a continuous track tractor ( Hornsby in England manufactured at least two full length "track steer" machines, and their patent
316-553: A patent infringement lawsuit ensued between Best and Holt. After three years of legal battles, the two companies decided to settle out of court. The parties resolved two suits when Holt made a cash payment to C. L. Best and provided C. L. Best a license giving them access to all Holt patents applying to manufacturing the C. L. Best's "Tracklayers." In 1916, C. L. Best bought his father's old factory in San Leandro, which Holt had closed after acquiring
474-623: A 40 horsepower Corliss steam engine manufactured in Providence, Rhode Island , and shipped around Cape Horn . All of the plant's machines were driven by belts connected to the Corliss engine. Brothers Charles and Benjamin eventually bought out the other brothers, with Charles running the business side and Benjamin running manufacturing operations. During the first year, the Holt subsidiary Stockton Wheel Company produced 6,000 wagon wheels and 5,000 carriage bodies. One of their most popular wheel types
632-569: A Mexican woman and sworn allegiance to Mexico , which then ruled California. He applied in Weber's place for Rancho Campo de los Franceses , a land grant of 11 square leagues on the east side of the San Joaquin River. Gulnac and Weber dissolved their partnership in 1843. Gulnac's attempts to settle the Rancho Campo de los Franceses failed, and Weber acquired it in 1845. In 1846 Weber had induced
790-495: A bankruptcy exit plan by a 6–0 vote to be filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of California, Sacramento. Voters approved a 3 ⁄ 4 -cent sales tax on November 5, 2013, to help fund the bankruptcy exit. On October 30, 2014, a federal bankruptcy judge approved the city's bankruptcy recovery plan, thus allowing the city to continue with the planned pension payments to retired workers. The city exited from Chapter 9 bankruptcy on February 25, 2015. As part of
948-426: A better power-to-weight ratio , a gasoline-engined tractor required fewer men to operate it. Competing steam engines typically required a crew of seven, including one highly skilled and well-paid, licensed "farm engineer". He was responsible for rising in the middle of the night to start the boiler fire to get up steam by first light. Steam traction boilers had a huge need for water and fuel, either coal or wood. Much of
1106-582: A descendant of the people initiated a legal case which became Wana the Bear v. Community Construction (1982). The decision ultimately sided with the development company, which was heavily criticized by Native Americans as a display of ethnocentrism . In September 1996, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission announced the final closure of Stockton's Naval Reserve Center on Rough and Ready Island. Formerly known as Ruff and Ready Island Naval Supply Depot ,
1264-637: A drought. In 2014–2015, farm-related losses in California totaled $ 5 billion and 20,000 farmers also lost their jobs. Agriculture is the primary industry in most of the Central Valley. A notable exception is the Sacramento area, which hosts a large and stable workforce of government employees. Despite state hiring cutbacks and the closure of several military bases, Sacramento's economy has continued to expand and diversify and now more closely resembles that of
1422-463: A female householder with no husband present, 7,157 (7.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 7,123 (7.9%) unmarried heterosexual partnerships , and 720 (0.8%) same-sex married or registered domestic partnerships . 19,484 households (21.5%) were made up of individuals, and 7,185 (7.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16. There were 65,778 families (72.6% of all households);
1580-464: A gasoline engine to power the tractor. Although Holt had paid Alvin Orlando Lombard US$ 20,000 in 1903 (about $ 678,222 today) for rights to use his patents, Lombard visited Holt in 1910 complaining of patent infringement . In the opinion of Holt's "very expensive lawyers", they concluded that Lombard's patents had little value due to prior art . So when Lombard visited, Holt calmly took him on
1738-486: A greater difference in the land in a shorter amount of time. According to a survey paper written in 1988 about a storm that occurred in 1982 in the Central Valley region, rainstorms that can cause that type of landslide to happen about every 5 years. Landslides to higher degrees, such as the ones that happened due to the 1982 storm, only occur every 20 to 100+ years. This intense storm in the San Francisco Bay area caused
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#17330848810011896-957: A large expanse of interconnected canals , stream beds , sloughs , marshes and peat islands. The delta empties into the San Francisco Bay , and ultimately into the Pacific. The waters of the Tulare Basin essentially never reach the ocean (with the exception of Kings River waters diverted northward for irrigation), though they are connected by man-made canals to the San Joaquin. The valley encompasses all or parts of 18 California counties: Butte , Colusa , Glenn , Fresno , Kern , Kings , Madera , Merced , Placer , San Joaquin , Sacramento , Shasta , Stanislaus , Sutter , Tehama , Tulare , Yolo and Yuba . Older names include "the Great Valley",
2054-453: A leisurely country drive in his Oldsmobile roadster , and when Lombard raised the issue of money, Holt merely suggested that they divide the country. Lombard should take up the Northern woods and Holt would take the remainder of the nation. Holt promised to write a letter to that effect, although he never did. In 1915, the C. L. Best Gas Traction Co. exhibited its new "Tracklayer" at
2212-577: A letter containing a demand that they stop using the competitor's harvesters or face a lawsuit. In the same month he sued William W. Nelson, George W. Bailey, Henry K. Heiken, Hugh A. Logan, William Sullivan, and three other Sullivans for infringement of his patents for "traveling threshers and combined harvesters." The defendants successfully filed a demurrer , getting the suit dismissed 16 months later. Competitors latched onto Holt's litigious nature and warned farmers considering buying his equipment that they might be prosecuted for patent infringement. In 1905,
2370-419: A lot of damage as a result of moving debris and landslides. They caused damage to the land and put people living in these areas that are susceptible to these disasters in great harm. The aftermath of this storm involved millions of dollars in retributions to restore the land and surrounding areas. It also led people to make greater efforts into planning around the danger of these landslides, as in how to manipulate
2528-595: A major fire on Main Street threatened an entire city block. At about 2 a.m., a blaze was discovered in the basement of the Yost-Dohrmann store, which was gutted, and adjacent businesses were damaged by flames and water. Damage was estimated at $ 150,000. By 1931, the Stockton Electric Railroad Co. operated 40 streetcars over 28 miles (45 km) of track. Stockton is the site of the first Sikh temple in
2686-687: A majority of its citizens. In 1870 the Census Bureau reported Stockton's population as 87.6% white and 10.7% Asian. Many Chinese were immigrating to California as workers in these years, especially for the Transcontinental Railroad . Benjamin Holt settled in Stockton in 1883 and with his three brothers founded the Stockton Wheel Co., and later the Holt Manufacturing Company . On Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1904, Holt successfully tested
2844-484: A man, I'd get on the train and go to California and kill old Ben Holt." Best bought all rights to Lombard's 1901 and 1907 patents for $ 20,000, which pre-dated Holt's "crawler" patents also purchased from Lombard. Holt's earlier rights to the Lombard patents were annulled and Best counter-sued Holt. Holt was credited with producing the first practical continuous tracks for use with tractors and he registered "Caterpillar" as
3002-489: A name still often seen in scientific references (notably Great Valley Sequence ), as well as "Golden Empire", a booster name that is still referred to by some organizations (notably Golden Empire Transit , Golden Empire Council ). Ideas about what constitutes the “Central Valley” can vary from person-to-person. While almost all authoritative sources and external observers consider the Sacramento Valley to be part of
3160-488: A nationwide depression , further inhibiting sales. On December 5, 1920, 71-year-old Benjamin Holt died after a month-long illness. Holt had been considered a "quiet and unassuming man who loved his work". He was well liked by his workers and dedicated a trust fund for employees who suffered financial difficulties. The banks who held the company's large debt forced the Holt board of directors to accept their candidate, Thomas F. Baxter, to succeed Benjamin Holt. Baxter
3318-596: A number of settlers to locate on the rancho when the Mexican–American War broke out. Considered a Californio, Weber was offered the position of captain by Mexican general José Castro , which he declined; he later, however, accepted the position of captain in the Cavalry of the United States. Captain Weber's decision to change sides lost him a great deal of the trust he had built up among his Mexican business partners. As
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#17330848810013476-617: A privately funded experiment in Universal Basic Income in 2019, the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (S.E.E.D.) conducted a pilot project that gave a $ 500 stipend to 125 randomly selected residents for an 24-month period with “no strings attached." It was made possible by the Economic Security Project, an advocacy group chaired by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes , which provided
3634-519: A result, he moved to the grant in 1847 and sold his business in San Jose in 1849. At the start of the California Gold Rush in 1848, Europeans and Americans started to arrive in the area of Weber's rancho on their way to the goldfields. When Weber decided to try his hand at gold mining in late 1848, he soon found selling supplies to gold-seekers was more profitable. As the head of navigation on
3792-934: A series of pumps that divert water into the California Aqueduct , which runs south along the length of the San Joaquin Valley. In parallel, pumps divert water into the Delta–Mendota Canal . The flow of the Sacramento River is further supplemented by a tunnel from the Trinity River (a tributary of the Klamath River , northwest of the Sacramento Valley) near Redding . Cities of the San Francisco Bay Area , also needing water, built aqueducts from
3950-419: A single cylinder (11-inch diameter (280 mm), 12-inch stroke (300 mm)). The firebox could burn wood, coal, or oil as fuel. Carrying 675 US gallons (2,560 L; 562 imp gal) of water, the traction engine weighed 48,000 pounds (22,000 kg) and rode on huge metal wheels. Holt's tractors were popular despite their weight and awkward size because they could harvest large fields for one-sixth
4108-399: A subdivision of modest tract homes built in the mid-1990s, had the worst foreclosure rate in the area according to ACORN , a now-defunct national advocacy group for low and moderate-income families. Stockton found itself squarely at the center of the 2000s' speculative housing bubble . Real estate in Stockton more than tripled in value between 1998 and 2005, but when the bubble burst in 2007,
4266-612: A third of California. It consists of three main drainage systems: the Sacramento Valley in the north, which receives over 20 inches (510 mm) of rain annually; the drier San Joaquin Valley in the south, and the Tulare Basin and its semi-arid desert climate at the southernmost end. The Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems drain their respective valleys and meet to form the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta ,
4424-619: A track-laying technique. Many people had attempted to add tracks to moving machines. Over 100 patents had already been issued worldwide, but all failed to work in practical situations. In 1903 Benjamin Holt paid Alvin Orlando Lombard US$ 60,000 for the right to produce vehicles under Lombard's patent for the Lombard Steam Log Hauler . The center of innovation was in England, and in the same year Holt traveled to England to learn more about ongoing development. During that period,
4582-431: A tractor that could perform rugged tasks yet was not itself heavy. He fitted adjustable blades onto his tractors and hired them out to grade roads and move soil and rock for construction purposes. By 1916, Holt had sold over 2,000 tractors worldwide. In England, starting in 1905, David Roberts of Richard Hornsby & Sons had attempted to interest British military officials in a tracked vehicle, but failed. Holt bought
4740-496: A trademark in 1910. Since Holt had trademarked Caterpillar , Best named his tractors Tracklayers . In 1911, Holt began building the "Holt Model 60 Caterpillar" in its Stockton plant and a "Holt Model 40-60 Caterpillar" at its East Peoria factory. Additional models followed, including the "Holt Model 60-75 Caterpillar", which sold very well, eventually renamed as the "Holt Model 75 Caterpillar", their best-selling front tiller-wheeled tractor. In 1910, Daniel Best's son C. L. Best left
4898-572: A trademark in 1911. Holt wanted to find manufacturing facilities closer to the vast agricultural markets of the midwest. Benjamin Holt's nephew, Pliny E. Holt, had been dispatched in March 1909 to Minneapolis, Minnesota , where he began manufacturing operations. They shipped parts for ten Model 45 tractors, but only two were produced. Pliny met Murray Baker , an implement dealer, who knew of an available factory that had been used to manufacture farm implements and steam traction engines . Baker, who later became
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5056-489: A trust company. Pliny Holt wrote a letter to the Stockton management team on July 1, 1909, reporting, "The plant is as complete and perfect in every detail as I have ever seen ... and one of the best arranged plants that I ever saw." On October 25, 1909, Pliny Holt purchased the factory, and immediately began preparing the plant for operations with 12 employees. The "Holt Caterpillar Company" was incorporated in both Illinois and California on January 12, 1910, and Pliny accepted
5214-411: A workable track-laying system. He replaced the wheels on a 40 horsepower (30 kW) Holt steamer, No. 77, with a set of wooden tracks bolted to chains. On Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1904, he successfully tested the updated machine plowing the soggy delta land of Roberts Island . Company photographer Charles Clements, looking at the machine's upside-down image through his camera lens, commented that
5372-470: Is Fresno followed by the state capital Sacramento . The following metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas are listed from largest to smallest: After English and Spanish , Punjabi is the third most commonly spoken language in the Central Valley. The valley has the largest Sikh population in the nation . The flatness of the valley floor contrasts with the rugged hills or gentle mountains that are typical of most of California's terrain. The valley
5530-562: Is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California . It is the most populous city in the county, the 11th-most populous city in California and the 60th-most populous city in the United States . Stockton's population in 2020 was 320,804. It was named an All-America City in 1999, 2004, 2015, and again in 2017 and 2018. The city
5688-500: Is better known as the owner of the NBA 's San Antonio Spurs , the five-time world champions). As of 2010, Caterpillar Inc. was the 229nd largest company in the world, In 2011, Caterpillar was the best-performing stock last year among the 30 companies in the Dow Jones industrial average with a market value of US$ 45.13 billion. Caterpillar is one of the 30 companies whose stock is tracked in
5846-405: Is characterized by very hot, arid summer and cool, wet winter. In an average year, nearly 95% of the 13.45 inches (341.6 mm) of precipitation falls from October through April. Located in the Central Valley , the temperature range is much greater than in the nearby Bay Area. The degree of diurnal temperature variation is roughly twice as high in the summer as in the winter. Tule fog blankets
6004-442: Is ideal for agriculture. The Central Valley is one of the United States' most productive growing regions. This is made possible by engineering the watercourses to prevent flooding during the spring snowmelt and drying up in the summer and autumn. Many dams, including Shasta Dam , Oroville Dam , Folsom Dam , New Melones Dam , Don Pedro Dam , Hetch Hetchy Dam , Friant Dam , Pine Flat Dam and Isabella Dam , were constructed on
6162-479: Is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km ), comprising 4.76%, is water. Historically an agricultural community, Stockton's economy has since diversified into other industries, which include telecommunications and manufacturing . Stockton's central location, relative to San Francisco and Sacramento , its proximity to the state and interstate freeway system, and its comparatively inexpensive land costs have prompted several companies to base their regional operations in
6320-448: Is life-threatening or even fatal. Due to the agricultural industry's significant presence in the Valley, pesticide drift and leaching have become concerns. Residents risk contamination when living in proximity to application sites. Air pollution is a growing problem that affects all of the citizens in the Central Valley. Some reasons of poor air pollution in the Central Valley are due to agriculture and its geographical features. Since
6478-468: Is located on the San Joaquin River in the northern San Joaquin Valley . It lies at the southeastern corner of a large inland river delta that isolates it from other nearby cities such as Sacramento and those of the San Francisco Bay Area . Stockton was founded by Charles Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquired Rancho Campo de los Franceses . The city is named after Robert F. Stockton , and it
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6636-403: Is now San Francisco Bay . Over the millennia, the valley filled with the sediments of these same ranges, as well as the rising Sierra Nevada to the east; that filling eventually created an extraordinary flatness just barely above sea level. Before California's flood control and aqueduct system was built, annual snow melt turned much of the valley into an inland sea. The one notable exception to
6794-481: Is part of the larger Pacific Border province, which in turn is part of the Pacific Mountain System . The Central Valley was formerly a diverse expanse of grassland, containing areas of prairie , desert grassland (at the southern end), oak savanna , riparian forest , marsh , several types of seasonal vernal pools , and large lakes such as now-dry Tulare Lake (once the largest freshwater lake west of
6952-399: Is released every Thursday, showing which parts of the U.S. are in a drought. It started in 2000, and since then the longest duration of a drought in California lasted a total of 376 weeks. It started on December 11, 2011, and ended on March 5, 2019. The most intense period captured on the drought monitor was on the week of July 29, 2014. It showed that 58.41% of California's land was affected by
7110-588: Is thought to have originated below sea level as an offshore area depressed by subduction of the Farallon Plate into a trench farther offshore. The valley has no earthquake faults of its own but is surrounded by faults to the east and west. The valley was enclosed by the uplift of the Coast Ranges , with its original outlet into Monterey Bay . Faulting moved the Coast Ranges, and a new outlet developed near what
7268-445: Is very hot and dry during the summer and cool and damp in winter when frequent ground fog known regionally as " tule fog " can obscure vision. Summer daytime temperatures frequently surpass 100 °F (38 °C), and common heat waves might bring temperatures exceeding 115 °F (46 °C). Mid-autumn to mid-spring is the rainy season —although during the late summer, southeasterly winds can bring tropical thunderstorms, mainly in
7426-526: The 2 Ton , 5 Ton , and 10 Ton from the Holt Manufacturing Company's old product line and the Caterpillar 30 and Caterpillar 60 from the C. L. Best Tractor Co.'s former product line. The 10 Ton and 5 Ton models were discontinued in 1926. In 1928, the 2 Ton was discontinued. The first completely new tractor produced after the union of the two companies
7584-627: The California Gold Rush , the San Joaquin River was navigable by ocean-going vessels, making Stockton a natural inland seaport and point of supply and departure for prospective gold-miners. From the mid-19th century onward, Stockton became the region's transportation hub, dealing mainly with agricultural products. Carlos Maria Weber was a German émigré in the United States in 1836. He was born as Carl David Weber (February 18, 1814, in Steinwenden – May 4, 1881, in Stockton) and then went by Charles in 1836 in
7742-646: The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, restricted immigration and prevented the Chinese from buying property. The Lincoln Hotel, built in 1920 by the Wong brothers on South El Dorado Street, was considered one of Stockton's finest hotels of the time. Only after the Magnuson Act was repealed in 1962 were American-born Chinese allowed to buy property and own buildings. The city was officially incorporated on July 23, 1850, by
7900-486: The Dow Jones Industrial Average . It is a Fortune 500 company, ranked number 229 in 2010, and first in its industry, with more than $ 67 billion in assets . Among his brothers, Benjamin was the most technically adept. He saw the need for farm machinery, and expanded the company's line to include farm equipment, including combine harvesters and steam-powered traction engines required to pull them through
8058-474: The Golden Gate . Many of the islands lie below sea level because of intensive agriculture, and face a high risk of flooding, which would allow salt water to rush back into the delta, especially when too little fresh water is flowing in from the Valley. The Sacramento River carries far more water than the San Joaquin, with an estimated 22 million acre-feet (27 km ) of virgin annual runoff, as compared to
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#17330848810018216-519: The Guangdong province of China during the 1850s due to a combination of political and economic unrest in China and the discovery of gold in California. After the gold rush, many worked for the railroads and land reclamation projects in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and remained in Stockton. By 1880 Stockton was home to the third-largest Chinese community in California. Discriminatory laws, in particular
8374-568: The Mokelumne River and Tuolumne River that run east to west across the middle part of the Central Valley. Most valley lowlands are prone to flooding, especially in the old Tulare Lake , Buena Vista Lake , and Kern Lake rivers. The Kings , Kaweah , Tule and Kern rivers originally flowed into these seasonal lakes, which would expand each spring to flood large parts of the southern San Joaquin Valley. Farms, towns, and infrastructure in these lakebeds are protected with levee systems, while
8532-455: The San Joaquin River could possibly cause much of Stockton to become submerged beneath 10–12 feet of water, causing a humanitarian disaster as costly and deadly as Hurricane Katrina if the levees are not upgraded. See or edit raw graph data . The 2010 United States Census reported that Stockton had a population of 291,707. The population density was 4,505.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,739.4/km ). The racial makeup of Stockton
8690-513: The Tehachapi Mountains . Riverside trees include willows, western sycamore ( Platanus racemosa ), box elder ( Acer negundo ), Fremont cottonwood ( Populus fremontii ), and the endemic valley oak ( Quercus lobata ). Another endemic species is brittlescale ( Atriplex depressa ) which grows in saline and alkali soils. The Central Valley was once home to large populations of pronghorn antelope ( Antilocapra americana ), elk including
8848-506: The depression of 1920–21 which further inhibited sales. Both companies streamlined their over-lapping product lines. The two companies had spent about US$ 1.5 million (about $ 26,060,721 today) in legal fees fighting each other in various contractual , trademark , and patent infringement lawsuits since 1905. On the advice of investors, the two companies merged in 1925 to form the Caterpillar Tractor Co. As of 2010, Caterpillar Inc.
9006-625: The 1890s and converted to steam-power types around the early 20th century. Over the next few years, Benjamin Holt designed and manufactured the first successful crawler-type tractor and designed a gasoline engine (see Tractor design , below.) In California, the Best Manufacturing Company of San Leandro and the Holt Manufacturing Company were competitors. In 1905, they resolved a patent infringement lawsuit when Daniel Best retired and gave one-third of Best Manufacturing Company to his son, Clarence Leo ("C. L.") Best . He sold
9164-556: The C. L. Best Gas Traction Company, formed by Clarence Leo Best in 1910, Holt faced fierce competition with the Fordson company. Between 1907 and 1918, Best and Holt had spent about US$ 1.5 million in legal fees fighting each other. The two companies competed economically and intellectually: Benjamin Holt had 47 patents in his name, while his nephew Pliny Holt had 38 patents; Best founder Daniel Best received 42 patents and his son C. L. Best had 27 patents. Harry H. Fair of
9322-441: The California state fair. Holt once again sued, this time for patent infringement . C. L. Best thought that his best defense was to prove that Holt's patents violated Lombard's patents. One of Best's lawyers, Henry Montgomery, visited Lombard and sought his assistance as a friendly witness. Lombard was more than friendly. He allegedly responded, "By God, young man, I'm glad to see you. If God Almighty could charter me to kill
9480-592: The Caterpillar brand. His first production model had a dual-track frame 30 inches (760 mm) high by 42 inches (1,100 mm) wide by 9 feet (2.7 m) long. Its tracks used 3 by 4 inches (76 mm × 102 mm) slats made of the same redwood used previously to produce wagon wheels. Holt sold the first model of steam-powered tractor crawlers for US$ 5,500. By 1915, the Holt company employed 1,000 workers in its Stockton plant. Nearly 2,000 Caterpillar crawlers had been sold in more than 20 countries. Pliny E. Holt,
9638-417: The Central Valley consists mostly of farming land, a wide, flat valley, the emissions from the soil that is used for growing produce are released into the air. The soil exudes nitrous oxide , an odorless and colorless gas that can be harmful when exposed to it for a long period of time, and incorporates itself into the ozone layer located at ground level. Production of nitrous oxide in California has shown that
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#17330848810019796-453: The Central Valley produces 8 percent of the nation's agricultural output by value: US$ 43.5 billion in 2013. California's farms and ranches earned almost $ 50 billion in 2018. The valley's productivity relies on irrigation from surface water and badly depleted underground aquifers . About one-sixth of the US' irrigated land is in the Central Valley. Virtually all non-tropical crops are grown in
9954-523: The Central Valley, which cause 312 landslides to move that year. Slow-moving landslides are impacted even if the intensity of the rainfall is not as severe. Consistent, moderately intense rainfall increases the saturation of water in the ground. This over-saturation is what causes the movement of a slow-moving landslide, rather than the more quick-moving and rigorous landslides that also occur in this region of California. Quick-moving landslides are caused by very intense rain, or sometimes earthquakes, that make
10112-405: The Central Valley, which is the primary source for produce throughout the United States, including tomatoes, grapes, cotton, apricots, and asparagus. Six thousand almond growers produced more than 600 million pounds (270 × 10 ^ kg) in 2000, about 70 percent of the world's supply and nearly 100 percent of domestic production. The US' top four counties in agricultural sales are in
10270-639: The Holt Manufacturing Company where he had been general manager and re-established his father's company under the name C. L. Best Gas Traction Co. in Elmhurst, near San Leandro, California. Holt immediately sued, claiming breach of contract and infringement because as owner of the Best Manufacturing Company, he believed he also owned the "Best" name. Holt did not prevail and Best continued to produce tractors that directly competed with Holt's models. Holt continued to innovate and worked to build
10428-979: The Holt Manufacturing Company, with a combined capital of US$ 3 million. The merged subsidiaries were: the Stockton Wheel Co.; the Houser and Haines Manufacturing Company of Stockton; the Aurora Engine Company of Stockton; the Best Manufacturing Company of San Leandro; the Canadian Holt Company, Limited of Calgary ; the Holt Manufacturing Company of Stockton; and the Holt Caterpillar Company of Peoria, Illinois. Holt tractors were widely used as artillery tractors during WWI, and their capabilities and reliability had become well known. Benjamin Holt gained experience securing government contracts. These capabilities separated him from his competition. Holt had obtained significant loans, and begun expansion to meet
10586-552: The Mississippi), Buena Vista Lake and Kern Lake . However, much of the Central Valley environment has been altered by human activity, including the introduction of exotic plants , notably grasses. The valley's grasslands, wetlands, and riparian forests constitute the California Central Valley grasslands , a temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion . The foothill oak woodlands and chaparral that fringe
10744-588: The Pacific Northwest. In 1909 Holt Manufacturing Company expanded by purchasing the facility of defunct farm implement maker Colean Manufacturing Company in East Peoria, Illinois . Holt changed the name of the company to Holt Caterpillar Company , although he did not trademark the name Caterpillar until 1910. The company's initial products focused on agricultural machinery and were distributed internationally. During World War I , almost all of its production
10902-568: The Sacramento River, 26 percent into the San Joaquin, and 27 percent into Tulare Lake. In the south part of the San Joaquin Valley, the alluvial fan of the Kings River and another from Coast Ranges streams have created a divide. The dry Tulare basin of the Central Valley receives flow from four major Sierra Nevada rivers, the Kings, Kaweah , Tule , and Kern . This basin, usually endorheic , formerly filled during snowmelt and spilled out into
11060-535: The Sacramento Valley for about 447 miles (719 km). In the San Joaquin Valley, the San Joaquin River flows roughly northwest for 365 miles (587 km), picking up tributaries such as the Merced River , Tuolumne River , Stanislaus River and Mokelumne River . The Central Valley watershed encompasses over a third of California at 60,000 square miles (160,000 km ), with 46 percent draining into
11218-576: The Sacramento Valley, with its high year-round flow and wide waterways, has been compared to the small and seasonal rivers of the San Joaquin basin; this also contributes to different identities between the two regions. Subregions and their counties commonly associated with the valley include: The four main population centers in the Central Valley area are roughly equidistant from the next. From south to north, they are Bakersfield , Fresno , Sacramento and Redding . These four cities act as hubs for regional commerce and transportation. The table displays
11376-480: The San Francisco Bay Area. Primary sources of population growth are Bay Area migrants seeking lower housing costs, augmented by immigration from Asia, Central America, Mexico, Ukraine, and the rest of the former Soviet Union. The Central Valley is one of the world's most productive agricultural regions. More than 230 crops are grown there. On less than 1 percent of the total farmland in the United States,
11534-567: The San Joaquin River, the city grew rapidly as a miners' supply point during the Gold Rush. Weber built the first permanent residence in the San Joaquin Valley on a piece of land now known as Weber Point. During the Gold Rush, the location of what is now Stockton developed as a river port, the hub of roads to the gold settlements in the San Joaquin Valley and northern terminus of the Stockton - Los Angeles Road . During its early years, Stockton
11692-555: The San Joaquin River. Called Tulare Lake , it is usually dry because the rivers feeding it have been diverted for agricultural purposes. Central Valley rivers converge in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta , a network of marshy channels, distributaries, and sloughs that wind around islands mainly used for agriculture. There the rivers merge with tidewater, and eventually reach the ocean after passing through Suisun Bay , San Pablo Bay , upper San Francisco Bay , and finally
11850-406: The San Joaquin's approximately 6 million acre-feet (7.4 km ). Intensive agricultural and municipal water consumption decreased the rate of outflow to about 17 million acre-feet (21 km ) for the Sacramento and 3 million acre-feet (3.7 km ) for the San Joaquin. These figures vary widely from year to year. Over 25 million people, living in the valley and other regions of
12008-710: The United States, first spending time in New Orleans and then in Texas . He then came overland from Missouri to California with the Bartleson-Bidwell Party in 1841 and began to go by Carlos, when he began working for John Sutter . In 1842 Weber settled in the Pueblo of San José . As an alien, Weber could not secure a land grant directly, so he formed a partnership with Guillermo (William) Gulnac. Born in New York, Gulnac had married
12166-554: The United States; Gurdwara Sahib Stockton opened on October 24, 1912. It was founded by Baba Jawala Singh and Baba Wasakha Singh, successful Punjabi immigrants who farmed and owned 500 acres (202 ha) on the Holt River. In 1933, the port was modernized, and the Stockton Deepwater Channel, which improved water passage to San Francisco Bay , was deepened and completed. This created commercial opportunities that fueled
12324-453: The addition of soil and fertilization can emit about 161,100 metric tons per year. Long term effects that nitrous oxide can have on a human being is loss of blood pressure, fainting, anemia, or lung cancer. The physical geographical attributes can also contribute to the air pollution quality. The Central Valley is surrounded by mountain ranges which can capture the pollution coming from the agricultural farming, preventing it from dispersing from
12482-558: The aforementioned factors, Forbes named it one of the three worst places to live in the United States. Following the 2008 financial crisis, in June 2012 Stockton became the largest city in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy protection. It was surpassed by Detroit in July 2013. The city approved a plan to exit bankruptcy in October 2013, and voters approved a sales tax on November 5, 2013, to help fund
12640-587: The agricultural market, which had been dominated during the war by the Holt Company's primary competitor, C. L. Best . The company decided to focus instead on heavy construction equipment and sought to capitalize on the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 . Laden with debt and needing more capital to switch its product line, the company struggled to move forward. Both the Holt Manufacturing Company and C. L. Best were hurt by
12798-617: The area during some winter days. Stockton lies in the fertile heart of the California Mediterranean climate prairie delta , about equidistant from the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Nevada . The intermediate climate between the coast and the Central Valley gives a similar climate to that of Badajoz , Spain. At the airport, the highest recorded temperature was 115 °F (46 °C) on July 23, 2006, and September 6, 2022, and
12956-655: The average family size was 3.69. The population was spread out, with 87,338 people (29.9%) under the age of 18, 34,126 people (11.7%) aged 18 to 24, 76,691 people (26.3%) aged 25 to 44, 64,300 people (22.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 29,252 people (10.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males. There were 99,637 housing units at an average density of 1,538.7 units per square mile (594.1 units/km ), of which 46,738 (51.6%) were owner-occupied, and 43,867 (48.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate
13114-414: The bond brokerage house of Pierce, Fair & Company of San Francisco was involved in funding C. L. Best's debt, when Holt shareholders approached him about their company's financial plight. He concluded that both companies might not survive and recommended that the Holt and Best companies should consolidate operations. In April and May 1925, the financially stronger C. L. Best merged with
13272-466: The business in California. Charles, Benjamin, and Frank incorporated the Holt Bros. Company on January 7, 1892, to deal in lumber and iron. Four days later, they also filed incorporation papers for "Holt Manufacturing Company" with Charles H. Holt, Benjamin Holt, Frank A. Holt, G. H. Cowie, and G. L. Dickenson as directors. The Holt Bros. Company formed a subsidiary, "The Stockton Wheel Company", to build
13430-731: The chief engineer (and managing director) of Richard Hornsby & Sons in Grantham , England, David Roberts , was experimenting with a chain-track . Hornsby's design incorporated a steering clutch that varied the speed of each set of wheels, allowing the operator to turn the tractor by retarding one tread or the other. Roberts of Hornsby & Sons obtained a patent for their design in July 1904. By December 1903, Holt wielded considerable influence over former competitors, including Houser-Haines Manufacturing and Mattison-Williamson Works. Holt returned to Stockton and applied his skills and his company's expertise in metallurgy, design, and testing to develop
13588-714: The city's growth. Ruff and Ready Island Naval Supply Depot was established, placing Stockton in a strategic position during the Cold War . During the Great Depression the town's canning industry became the battleground of a labor dispute resulting in the Spinach Riot of 1937. During World War II , the Stockton Assembly Center was built on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, a few blocks from what
13746-654: The city. The city of Stockton has one shopping mall , the Weberstown Mall . The city previously housed the Sherwood Mall , adjacent to Weberstown, but in 2022, it was converted into a shopping center now named Sherwood Place. It has the only Dillard's in the Northern California region at the Weberstown Mall, as well as one of the three Sears stores still operating in the Northern California region. Beginning in
13904-599: The city. State Route 4 and the dredged San Joaquin River connect the city with the San Francisco Bay Area to its west, creating the Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel . Stockton and Sacramento are California's only inland sea ports . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city occupies a total area of 64.8 square miles (168 km ), of which 61.7 square miles (160 km )
14062-429: The combine to work on slopes. He added two separate wooden frames which enabled the drive wheels to be raised or lowered independently. This allowed the combine to operate on slopes as steep as 30 degrees while the threshing machine remained level. In 1890, Holt built his first experimental steam traction engine , nicknamed "Old Betsy". Built on a 24-foot-long (7.3 m) frame, it developed 60 horsepower (45 kW) from
14220-411: The company. C. L. Best built a new factory on the same location. His company gained attention for its continued improvements to its products. Holt received a patent on December 7, 1907, for his improved "Traction Engine" ("improvement in vehicles, and especially of the traction engine class; and included endless traveling platform supports upon which the engine is carried"). In 1908, he designed
14378-429: The cost of a horse-drawn combine. Foresters soon adapted them to haul redwood logs out of road-less forests. By 1897, the company had about 200 employees and had sold over 800 of their combined harvesters in California. Holt Manufacturing made about 130 steam-powered tractors between 1890 and 1904. The steam tractors were extremely heavy, sometimes weighing 1,000 pounds (450 kg) per horsepower , and often sank into
14536-579: The counties of Central Valley and their respective population during the 2020 US Decennial Census. Total jobs for each county is from the U.S. Census Bureau, OnTheMap Application and LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (Beginning of Quarter Employment, 2nd Quarter of 2002–2020). As of 2020, some 7.2 million people lived in the Central Valley; it was the fastest-growing region in California. It includes 12 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) and 1 Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA). Below, they are listed by MSA and μSA population. The largest city
14694-565: The county court, and the first city election was held on July 31, 1850. In 1851 the City of Stockton received its charter from the State of California. Early settlers included gold seekers from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, the Pacific Islands, Mexico and Canada. The historical population diversity is reflected in Stockton street names, architecture, numerous ethnic festivals and the faces and heritage of
14852-454: The deed to the plant on Feb 16, 1910. East Peoria became Holt Manufacturing Company's eastern manufacturing plant, competing with the nearby Avery Tractor Company . The Peoria facility proved so profitable that only two years later the Peoria facility employed 625 people and was exporting tractors to Argentina , Canada, and Mexico . Tractors were built in both Stockton and East Peoria. In 1909,
15010-495: The delta. Large blocks of desert scrubland exist in the southern San Joaquin Valley and the Carrizo Plain , just outside the valley, but offering a similar landscape. The wetlands have been the target of rescue operations to restore areas replaced by agriculture. These patches of natural habitat are disconnected, which is particularly damaging for wildlife that is used to migrating along the rivers. Agriculture, grazing land, and
15168-408: The draining of lakes and rivers have radically altered valley habitats. Most of the grassland has been overtaken by new species; most vernal pools have been destroyed, leaving only those on the higher slopes; the marshland has been drained, and the riverbank woodlands have nearly all been affected. The valley gives its name to Valley fever , which is primarily a disease of the lungs that is common in
15326-632: The east. The Central Valley is a region known for its agricultural productivity . It provides a large share of the food produced in California. California provides more than half of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States. More than 7,000,000 acres (28,000 km ) of the valley are irrigated via reservoirs and canals. The valley hosts many cities, including the state capital Sacramento , as well as Redding , Chico , Stockton , Modesto , Merced , Fresno , Visalia , Porterville , and Bakersfield . The Central Valley watershed comprises 60,000 square miles (160,000 km ), or over
15484-512: The endemic tule elk subspecies ( Cervus elaphus nannodes ), mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ), California ground squirrels , gophers , mice, hare, rabbits and kangaroo rats , along with their predators including the San Joaquin kit fox (an endangered subspecies surviving on the San Joaquin Valley's hillsides). The valley's wetlands were an important habitat for wintering waterbirds and migrating birds of other kinds. Reptiles and amphibians of
15642-486: The engineers building the 233-mile-long (375 km) Los Angeles Aqueduct bought one of Holt's Model 70-120 tractors to haul supplies across the Mojave Desert . It effortlessly hauled 30 short tons (27 t) up a 14% grade. They were so impressed that they ordered 26 more, giving the Holt tractor and the company considerable credibility and substantially boosting sales. In 1913, Holt merged its various companies into
15800-456: The ensuing financial crisis made Stockton one of the hardest-hit cities in United States. Stockton housing prices fell 39% in the 2008 fiscal year, and the city had the country's highest foreclosure rate (9.5%) as well. Stockton also had an unemployment rate of 13.3% in 2008, one of the highest in the United States. Stockton was rated by Forbes in 2009 as America's fifth most dangerous city because of its crime rate . In 2010, mainly due to
15958-544: The exit. The collapse in real estate valuations had a negative effect on the city's revenue base. On June 28, 2012, Stockton filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy . On April 1, 2013, the United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of California ruled that Stockton was eligible for bankruptcy protection. The Stockton bankruptcy case lasted longer than two years and received nationwide attention. On October 4, 2013, Stockton City Council approved
16116-420: The fields. In 1883, Benjamin Holt produced his first horse-drawn "Link-Belt Combined Harvester". It allowed a farmer to combine cutting and threshing grain into a single mechanical operation, enabling farmers to cut more wheat in one pass, increasing productivity and cutting labor hours nearly in half. One key innovation Holt implemented was using flexible chain belts rather than gears to transmit power from
16274-432: The first $ 1 million for the program, and a dozen other Silicon Valley organizations and private donors who funded the rest of its $ 3 million budget. The positive benefits of the program during the first year were described in an interim report published in March 2021. Stockton's climate lies right on the boundary of, and fluctuates between, hot-summer Mediterranean ( Köppen : Csa ) and cool semi-arid ( BSk ). Stockton
16432-464: The first executive vice president of what became Caterpillar Tractor Company , wrote to Holt headquarters in Stockton and described the plant of the bankrupt Colean Manufacturing Co. of East Peoria, Illinois . Pliny inspected the Colean factory in late June 1909 and learned they had spent at least $ 450,000 on the relatively new building and machinery. Holt could acquire the assets for the $ 50,000 note held by
16590-515: The first significant rainfall. The official season is from November 1 to March 31. This phenomenon is named after the valley's tule grass wetlands ( tulares ). Auto collisions caused by the tule fog are the leading cause of weather-related casualties in California. Two river systems drain and define the two parts of the Central Valley. The Sacramento River , along with its tributaries the Feather River and American River , flows southwards through
16748-673: The first workable continuous track tread machine, plowing soggy San Joaquin Valley Delta farmland. Company photographer Charles Clements was reported to have observed that the tractor crawled like a caterpillar, and Holt seized on the metaphor. "Caterpillar it is. That's the name for it." On April 22, 1918, British Army Col. Ernest Dunlop Swinton visited Stockton while on a tour of the United States. The British and French armies were using many hundreds of Holt tractors to haul heavy guns and supplies during World War I , and Swinton publicly thanked Holt and his workforce for their contribution to
16906-483: The flat valley floor is Sutter Buttes , the remnants of an extinct volcano just to the northwest of Yuba City . Another significant geologic feature of the Central Valley lies hidden beneath the delta. The Stockton Arch is an upwarping of the crust beneath the valley sediments that extends southwest to northeast across the valley. The Central Valley lies within the California Trough physiographic section, which
17064-564: The front "tiller" or steering wheel. Holt offered the Caterpillar 45 and Best introduced his C. L. Best Model 40 "Tracklayer". Benjamin Holt aggressively defended his patents and was quick to sue anyone he felt might be infringing his rights. In June 1899, he claimed that the Haines-Houser's tractors used certain devices for which Holt held the trademark. Holt sent all farmers who owned Haines-Houser tractors in Yolo County, California ,
17222-446: The ground wheels to the working parts of the machine. In 1886, the company sold its first combine harvester . It had a 14-foot (4.3 m) cutting bar and was pulled by an 18-horse team. The largest combine Stockton Wheel Co. manufactured had a 50-foot-long (15 m) cutting bar. In comparison, large modern combines have a 20-foot (6.1 m) cutting bar. Some of the Holt combines needed as many as 40 horses to operate. Holt adapted
17380-461: The interior of California . It is 40–60 mi (60–100 km) wide and runs approximately 450 mi (720 km) from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the Pacific coast of the state . It covers approximately 18,000 sq mi (47,000 km ), about 11% of California's land area. The valley is bounded by the Coast Ranges to the west and the Sierra Nevada to
17538-618: The island's facilities had served as a major communications outpost for submarine activities in the Pacific during the Cold War. The site is slowly being redeveloped as commercial property. Stockton is situated amidst the farmland of California's San Joaquin Valley , a subregion of the Central Valley . In and around Stockton are thousands of miles of waterways that make up the California Delta . Interstate 5 and State Route 99 , inland California's major north–south highways, pass through
17696-771: The land to accommodate the consequences. Out of the past twenty-two years, California has experienced significant drought conditions for thirteen years. From 2000 to 2018 was the second driest period that California has ever experienced. The driest three-year period ever in California was from 2012 to 2014. Three-quarters of the state of California is experiencing extreme drought conditions. There are also multiple types of droughts such as agricultural droughts, meteorological droughts, snow droughts, and hydrological droughts. All of these droughts affect California in different ways. Droughts can damage forests and can cause wildfires. Droughts cause forests to become dry which causes trees to die. Dead trees result in wildfires. The U.S. drought monitor
17854-451: The late 1990s, Stockton had commenced some revitalization projects. The Stockton real estate market was disproportionately affected by the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis , and the city led the United States in foreclosures for that year, with one of every 30 homes posted for foreclosure. From September 2006 to September 2007, the value of a median-priced house in Stockton declined by 44%. Stockton's Weston Ranch neighborhood,
18012-648: The lowest was 16 °F (−9 °C) on January 11, 1949. There are an average of 88 afternoons annually with high temperatures of 90 °F (32.2 °C) or higher, and 19 afternoons of 100 °F (37.8 °C) or above; 19 mornings see low temperatures at or below freezing. The wettest "rain year" was from July 1982 to June 1983 with 27.89 inches (708.4 mm) and the driest from July 1975 to June 1976 with 5.71 inches (145.0 mm). Note that regional difference of precipitation has been recorded in Stockton. The more northern part of Stockton receives more precipitation than southern Stockton. The most rainfall in one month
18170-418: The majority of its population was sent to Rohwer , Arkansas. The former incarceration site was named a California Historical Landmark in 1980, and in 1984 a marker was erected at the entrance to the fairgrounds. In 1979, the development of a residential area in Stockton at a burial ground of the tribe unearthed two hundred Miwok remains. In an attempt to prevent the further desecration of the burial grounds,
18328-497: The market leader Holt Caterpillar to form the Caterpillar Tractor Co. Baxter had been removed as CEO earlier in 1925, and Clarence Leo Best assumed the title of CEO, and remained in that role until October 1951. The new company was headquartered in San Leandro until 1930, when under the terms of the merger it was moved to Peoria. The Caterpillar company consolidated its product lines, offering only five track-type tractors:
18486-497: The other areas in California. The Central Valley is also expanding in the number of people that coincide in that area, so it increases the number of cars which can also contribute to the amount of emission that is in the air. The northern Central Valley has a hot Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification Csa ); the more southerly parts in rainshadow zones are dry enough to be Mediterranean steppe or even low-latitude desert ( BWh , as in areas around Bakersfield ). It
18644-441: The overall size and weight of a tractor, produced more power per pound of weight, and reduced the tractor's cost, making it more cost-effective and affordable. Holt's most popular gasoline engine tractor was a Model 75, weighing 24,000 pounds (11,000 kg) with a 75 horsepower (56 kW) engine. Pliny was also treasurer of another subsidiary, the Houser and Haines Manufacturing Company of Stockton, from 1905–09. As well as having
18802-481: The patents related to the "chain track" track-type tractor from Richard Hornsby & Sons in 1912 for £4,000 (almost £400,000 at 2012 value). Unlike the Holt tractor, which had a steerable tiller wheel in front of the tracks, the Hornsby crawler was steered by controlling power to each track. Holt was more interested in the Hornsby's differential than in its complex track system. Stockton, California Stockton
18960-421: The remaining two-thirds to Benjamin Holt for US$ 325,000 (roughly equivalent to $ 11,021,111 today). C. L. Best was made plant manager of the new concern, but Holt retained effective control. C. L. did not stay long, and left in 1910 to form the C. L. Best Gas Traction Company to replace his father's firm, resulting in further difficulties between the two men. Holt registered "Caterpillar" as
19118-574: The rich, soft earth of the San Joaquin Valley Delta farmland surrounding Stockton, California . Holt tried to solve the problem by increasing the size and width of the wheels, but this also made the tractors increasingly complex, expensive, and difficult to maintain. One tractor had wheels 7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall and 6 feet (1.8 m) wide, producing a tractor 46 feet (14 m) wide. Holt could spend hours in his private workshop, and experimented by adding multiple wheels and ultimately with
19276-517: The risk of floods damaging properties increased greatly. The Great Flood of 1862 was the valley's worst flood in recorded history, flooding most of the valley and putting some places as much as 20 feet (6.1 m) under water. In 2003, it was determined that Sacramento had both the least protection against and nearly the highest risk of flooding. Congress then granted a $ 220 million loan for upgrades in Sacramento County. Other counties in
19434-631: The rivers, with many of them being part of the Central Valley Project . These dams impact physical, economic, cultural, and ecological resources: for example, enabling the development of its vast agricultural resources but leading to the loss of the Chinook salmon . Post-World War II demand for urban development, most notably the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles / Inland Empire / San Diego , required water resources. Moreover, agriculture in
19592-686: The same year, Charles and Ames established the Holt Brothers Company in San Francisco. The company sold hardwood, lumber, and wagon and carriage materials, primarily manufacturing wagon axles, wheels, and frames. W. Harrison Holt and Ames both temporarily returned around 1871 to New Hampshire – where both were married – to manage the eastern business. The brothers built a factory in Concord, New Hampshire, to manufacture wagon wheels, wheel components, bodies and running gear. In 1872, at age 23, Benjamin
19750-401: The seven-man crew's time was spent keeping it fueled. C. L. Best introduced a crawler tractor in 1913 that was virtually a carbon copy of Holt's design. Holt's tractors had a conventional wheel on the front, which was used to steer, and crawling-type wheels on the back, but otherwise looked very similar to a traction engine . During 1914, both Best and Holt introduced models without
19908-431: The son of Benjamin's half-brother, William Harrison Holt, had been working with Stockton Wheel Company for the past nine years. In 1906, he was named president of the newly formed Aurora Engine Company, named after Aurora Street in Stockton where it was located. The new company manufactured gasoline engines to replace the large, heavy steam boilers used to power the earlier Holt tractors. A gasoline engine considerably reduced
20066-585: The southern Central Valley required far more water than was available locally. The Feather River in the Sacramento Valley was looked to as a water source, leading to the California State Water Project . This transports water to the southern San Joaquin Valley and urban areas south of the Tehachapi Mountains. Runoff from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers is intercepted in the delta through
20224-456: The southern half of the San Joaquin Valley but occasionally to the Sacramento Valley . The northern half of the Central Valley receives greater precipitation than the semidesert southern half. Frost occurs at times in the fall months, but snow is extremely rare. Tule fog / ˈ t uː l iː / is a thick ground fog that settles along the valley's length. Tule fog forms during the late fall and winter (California's rainy season ), after
20382-400: The southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is caused by the fungus Coccidioides immitis , which grows in soils in areas of low rainfall, high summer temperatures, and moderate winter temperatures. These fungal spores become airborne when the soil is disturbed by winds, construction, or farming. This illness frequently takes weeks or months to resolve. Occasionally Valley Fever
20540-523: The state, rely on the water carried by these rivers. Sierra Nevada runoff provides one of California's largest water resources. The Sacramento River is the second largest river to empty into the Pacific from the contiguous United States , behind only the Columbia River and greater than the Colorado River . Combined with the fertile and expansive area of the Central Valley's floor, the Central Valley
20698-540: The track rising and falling over the carrier rollers looked like a caterpillar and Holt seized on the metaphor. "Caterpillar it is. That's the name for it!" Others reported that Holt got the name from British troops who witnessed a working prototype of Hornsby's track-type vehicle in July 1907. Continuous tracks allowed practical cultivation of the rich farmland on an industrial scale. The invention also allowed planters to reclaim thousands of acres of delta land previously unusable for farming. Holt began producing models under
20856-547: The valley have been categorized as the California interior chaparral and woodlands ecoregion. The dominant grass of the valley was Nassella pulchra mixed with other species, but today only 1% of the grassland in the valley is intact. Grassland flowers include California poppy ( Eschscholzia californica ), lupins , and purple owl's clover ( Castilleja exserta ), which can still be seen, especially in Antelope Valley in
21014-563: The valley include the endemic San Joaquin coachwhip snake ( Masticophis flagellum ruddocki ), blunt-nosed leopard lizard ( Gambelia sila ), Gilbert's skink ( Eumeces gilberti ) and the western aquatic garter snake ( Thamnophis couchii ). Endemic invertebrates are present. The Central Valley is home to endemic fish species, including the Sacramento pikeminnow , Sacramento perch , Sacramento blackfish , and Sacramento splittail . The Great Valley Grasslands State Park preserves an example of
21172-422: The valley that often face flooding are Yuba , Stanislaus , and San Joaquin . There is a very strong positive correlation between rainfall and slow-moving landslides in Northern California, especially in the Central Valley region. Changes in climate and precipitation levels have shown that consistent average rainfall has increased the number and intensity of landslides within the past 5–6 years. This information
21330-589: The valley's native grass habitat , while oak savanna habitats survive near Visalia . Areas of wetland and riverside woodland are found in the north, especially by the Sacramento River system, including the Nature Conservancy 's Cosumnes River Preserve just south of Sacramento, Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, Butte Sink Wildlife Management Area , and other patches in the delta area. Remaining vernal pools include Pixley National Wildlife Refuge between Tulare, California , and Bakersfield and Jepson Prairie Preserve in
21488-434: The war effort. During 1914 and 1915, Swinton had advocated basing some sort of armored fighting vehicle on Holt's caterpillar tractors, but without success (although Britain did develop tanks, they came from a separate source and were not directly derived from Holt machines). After the appearance of tanks on the battlefield, Holt built a prototype, the gas–electric tank , but it did not enter production. On January 10, 1920,
21646-459: The war planners' need for his tractors. Holt also made a steam powered tank for evaluation using Doble steam engines . C. L. Best Gas Tractor Company had meanwhile concentrated on supplying the market for smaller agricultural tractors. Although Best did not make tractors for the war effort, they had secured promises from the federal government that they would be able to obtain all the steel required to continue building tractors for farmers during
21804-472: The war. As a result, Best had gained a considerable market advantage over Holt by war's end. Best also assumed considerable debt to allow it to continue expansion, especially production of its new Model 60 "Tracklayer". When the war ended, Holt's planned expansion to meet the military's needs was no longer needed. The company was left in a difficult situation. The types of tractors needed by the military were very different from what farmers needed. Their situation
21962-481: The wheels. They based their company in the Central Valley town of Stockton, California . Stockton was an ideal location, as it could be reached by ocean-going ship via the San Joaquin River , 72 miles (116 km) east of San Francisco, and was hot enough to season woods to prepare them for use in the arid valleys of California and the deserts of the West. The factory cost US$ 65,000 (or about $ 2,380,560 ) to build and used
22120-461: The “Central Valley”, many residents consider the Central Valley to consist of only the San Joaquin Valley . This is perhaps due to significant landscape and cultural differences between the two; the San Joaquin Valley is poorer and drier with more fertile soil, while the Sacramento Valley is wealthier and wetter with poorer soils. The major presence of the Sacramento River and its tributaries in
22278-571: Was 10 feet (3.0 m) in diameter used by redwood loggers, who connected two of these wheels with a strong 10 feet (3.0 m) axle, and then attached a team of horses to pull logs from the forest. In the late 19th century, there were companies globally striving to build a practical horse-drawn combine harvester and other farm equipment. They soon progressed to steam-powered farm machinery and, later, designs for crawler-type tractors. More than 100 patents were issued for various crawler designs. Holt began manufacturing horse-drawn combine harvesters in
22436-555: Was 108,044 (37.0%) white (22.1% non-Hispanic white ), 35,548 (12.2%) African American , 3,086 (1.1%) Native American , 62,716 (21.5%) Asian (7.2% Filipino, 3.5% Cambodian, 2.1% Vietnamese, 2.0% Hmong, 1.8% Chinese, 1.6% Indian, 1.0% Laotian, 0.6% Pakistani, 0.5% Japanese, 0.2% Korean, 0.1% Thai), 1,822 (0.6%) Pacific Islander (0.2% Samoan, 0.1% Tongan, 0.1% Guamanian), 60,332 (20.7%) from other races , and 20,159 (6.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 117,590 persons (40.3%). 35.7% of Stockton's population
22594-407: Was 3.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%. 146,235 people (50.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 139,738 people (47.9%) lived in rental housing units. Due to a number of socio-economic problems, Stockton has been subject to a series of negative national rankings: Central Valley (California) The Central Valley is a broad, elongated, flat valley that dominates
22752-469: Was 8.22 inches (208.8 mm) in February 1998 and the most rainfall in 24 hours was 3.01 inches (76.5 mm) on January 21, 1967. There are an average of 56.5 days with measurable precipitation. Only light amounts of snow have been recorded, and the only instance of measurable snowfall occurred on February 5, 1976, with 0.3 in (0.8 cm) measured. A 2018 federal study predicts that flooding of
22910-480: Was a former Boston banker who had joined the Holt company in 1913 as a business manager. The company struggled with the transition from wartime boom to peacetime bust. Baxter initially cut the large tractors from the company's product line and introduced smaller models focused on the agricultural market. When the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 funded a US$ 1 billion federal highway building program, Baxter began focusing company assets towards road construction. Along with
23068-412: Was given an interest in his father's business, and he assumed more responsibility for the company's operations. W. Harrison Holt moved to Tiffin, Ohio , to manage the company's lumber business there, where he remained until the early 1880s. Their mother died in 1875, and their father died eight years later in 1883. After his father's death, Benjamin Holt left New Hampshire in 1883 to help Charles build
23226-416: Was known by several names, including "Weberville," "Fat City," "Mudville" and "California's Sunrise Seaport." In 1849 Weber laid out a town, which he named "Tuleburg," but he soon decided on "Stockton" in honor of Commodore Robert F. Stockton . Stockton was the first community in California to have a name that was neither Spanish nor Native American in origin. Thousands of Chinese came to Stockton from
23384-490: Was later purchased by Holt in 1913, allowing Holt to claim to be the "inventor" of the crawler tractor.) By the early 20th century, Holt Manufacturing Company was the leading manufacturer of combine harvesters in the US, and the leading California-based manufacturer of steam traction engines . Holt Manufacturing Company operated from Stockton, California, until opening a satellite facility in Walla Walla, Washington , to serve
23542-561: Was located on a mound between Edison and Harrison Streets on what is now the Stockton Channel in downtown Stockton. The Siskiyou Trail began in the northern San Joaquin Valley . It was a centuries-old Native American footpath that led through the Sacramento Valley over the Cascades and into present-day Oregon . The extensive network of waterways in and around Stockton was fished and navigated by Miwok Indians for centuries. During
23700-558: Was military materiel. Its tractors were widely used by the Allies to supplant horses pulling haul heavy artillery and tow supply trains. Holt tractors also played a part, to varying degrees, in the development of military tanks in Great Britain, France, and Germany. Holt's equipment was credited with helping the Allies to win the war. As the war ended, the Holt company was left with huge surplus inventories of heavy-duty tractors ill-suited for
23858-437: Was of Mexican descent, and 0.6% Puerto Rican. The 2010 census reported that 285,973 people (98.0% of the population) lived in households, 3,896 (1.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,838 (0.6%) were institutionalized. There were 90,605 households, out of which 41,033 (45.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41,481 (45.8%) were heterosexual married couples living together, 17,140 (18.9%) had
24016-456: Was shown in a study that focused on the behavior of these slow-moving landslides and how their nature changed with years of extreme average rainfall versus minimal average rainfall. In 2016, the average annual precipitation levels were lower because of a drought that was coming to an end at that time. The minimal rainfall in that year showed that 119 landslides had been moving. Comparatively, in 2017, there were very extreme levels of precipitation in
24174-500: Was the 1929 Caterpillar L20. After Benjamin Holt's death in 1920, William K. "Bill" Holt formed the first Caterpillar dealership in Mexico. In 1933, he was authorized to operate the dealership for the 60 southern counties of Texas. The company merged with another Holt business and was renamed HOLT CAT. It continues as the largest Caterpillar dealership in the US, under the ownership and management of Benjamin's great-grandson, Peter Holt (who
24332-607: Was the 229th largest company in the world. Charles H. Holt arrived in San Francisco from Concord, New Hampshire , in 1864 to form C. H. Holt and Co. Initially the company produced wooden wagon wheels and later, steel wheels for streetcars . In 1869, at age 20, his younger brother Benjamin went to work in their father's sawmill in New Hampshire along with William Harrison Holt and Ames Frank Holt, preparing hardwoods for shipping to Charles in San Francisco. William and Ames joined Charles in San Francisco in 1871. In
24490-467: Was the first community in California to have a name not of Spanish or Native American origin. Built during the California Gold Rush , Stockton's seaport serves as a gateway to the Central Valley and beyond. It provided easy access for trade and transportation to the southern gold mines. The University of the Pacific (UOP), chartered in 1851, is the oldest university in California, and has been located in Stockton since 1923. In 2012, Stockton filed for what
24648-481: Was then the city center. One of 15 temporary detention sites run by the Wartime Civilian Control Administration , the center held some 4,200 Japanese-Americans removed from their West Coast homes under Executive Order 9066 , while they waited for transfer to more permanent and isolated camps in the interior of the country. The center opened on May 10, 1942, and operated until October 17, when
24806-678: Was then the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history – which had multiple causes, including financial mismanagement in the 1990s, generous fringe benefits to unionized city employees, and the 2008 financial crisis . Stockton successfully exited bankruptcy in February 2015. When Europeans first arrived in the Stockton area, it was occupied by the Yatchicumne, a branch of the Northern Valley Yokuts Indians . They built their villages on low mounds to keep their homes above regular floods. A Yokuts village named Pasasimas
24964-416: Was worsened as artillery tractors were brought back from Europe, depressing prices for new equipment and Holt's unsold inventory of military tractors. The company moved to focus less on agricultural machinery and more on producing road-building equipment. To keep the company afloat, they borrowed heavily. Both companies were affected by the transition from a wartime to a peacetime economy, which contributed to
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