San Benito County History

This section is excerpted from A Memorial and Biographical History of the Coast Counties of Central California by Henry D. Barrows and Luther A. Ingersoll, and published by The Lewis Publishing Company in 1893.

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Paicines, Panoche, New Idria, Vallecitos

are thriving settlements. The San Benito and Priest valleys are fertile, healthful and beautiful valleys. The Dry Lake and Bitter Water regions are attractive localities for industrious settlers, and although as yet sparsely occupied, there is abundant evidence that those who have made their homes here are prosperous and contented.

Although the main industries of the upper or southern portion of San Benito county are the raising of grain and hay and stock, yet fruit culture is likely to become prominent in the future. The foot-hills throughout this region are undoubtedly adapted to the vine. The splendid results obtained by Mr. Palmtag with several kinds of foreign grapes, serve as a pointer which others may follow with confidence. Though his wines are young, they show plainly enough, to the discerning, something of the future possibilities of this section in viti-culture. Some of his wines properly blended and aged, would sell in any markets in the world.

One peculiarity of San Benito county is, that much of its mountainous regions are susceptible of cultivation, almost from their base to their summits. Indeed natural grasses grow to their very tops. The peculiarities of the foot-hill regions of California, of soil, drainage, freedom from frosts, etc., admirably adapt theta to fruit-culture, as the people of many sections of the State have abundantly demonstrated. The vineyards of the future of California will be located on the foot-hills and hill-sides.

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This section is excerpted from A Memorial and Biographical History of the Coast Counties of Central California by Henry D. Barrows and Luther A. Ingersoll, and published by The Lewis Publishing Company in 1893.