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Discover the people who lived there, the places they visited and the stories they shared.
Residence of R. P. Lathrop, Hollister, Cal.
"The Lathrop Hay Company was a Hollister-based hay producer. Founded by L. B. Lathrop in 1873. Lathrop had been an orchardist in San Jose, but had moved to Hollister in 1873. He produced a huge crop of hay the next year, but because the Southern Pacific Railroad had not been completed to Hollister, he had no way to get it to market. He built a large storage warehouse near the railroad depot site and stored the hay until needed. He billed his new company as "Lathrop Hay Co., known everywhere as the largest hay company in the world." In 1893, the company expected to produce 27,000 tons of hay for shipping out. Between June 1 and August 18, the company shipped 492 freight cars at 11 tons each.
His son, R. P. Lathrop, later took over the company. By 1920, the warehouse site in Hollister had grown from 10 acres to 37, with four corrugated iron warehouses and 19,600 tons of hay capacity. The plant had a mile of railroad spur tracks, six draft horses, stables, a track scale, and office building. The warehouses were spaced out over the property for fire prevention. The company was charging $1.50/ ton to store hay for a year, and was also buying and selling hay as well. R.P. Lathrop claimed Lathrop was supplying a fifth of California's hay demand..."
vasonabranch.com/ packing_houses
Postcard
Posted in the Past: Revealing the true stories written on a postcard
Discover the people who lived there, the places they visited and the stories they shared.
Residence of R. P. Lathrop, Hollister, Cal.
"The Lathrop Hay Company was a Hollister-based hay producer. Founded by L. B. Lathrop in 1873. Lathrop had been an orchardist in San Jose, but had moved to Hollister in 1873. He produced a huge crop of hay the next year, but because the Southern Pacific Railroad had not been completed to Hollister, he had no way to get it to market. He built a large storage warehouse near the railroad depot site and stored the hay until needed. He billed his new company as "Lathrop Hay Co., known everywhere as the largest hay company in the world." In 1893, the company expected to produce 27,000 tons of hay for shipping out. Between June 1 and August 18, the company shipped 492 freight cars at 11 tons each.
His son, R. P. Lathrop, later took over the company. By 1920, the warehouse site in Hollister had grown from 10 acres to 37, with four corrugated iron warehouses and 19,600 tons of hay capacity. The plant had a mile of railroad spur tracks, six draft horses, stables, a track scale, and office building. The warehouses were spaced out over the property for fire prevention. The company was charging $1.50/ ton to store hay for a year, and was also buying and selling hay as well. R.P. Lathrop claimed Lathrop was supplying a fifth of California's hay demand..."
vasonabranch.com/ packing_houses
Postcard
Posted in the Past: Revealing the true stories written on a postcard
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"The Lathrop Hay Company was a Hollister-based hay producer. Founded by L. B. Lathrop in 1873. Lathrop had been an orchardist in San Jose, but had moved to Hollister in 1873. He produced a huge crop of hay the next year, but because the Southern Pacific Railroad had not been completed to Hollister, he had no way to get it to market. He built a large storage warehouse near the railroad depot site and stored the hay until needed. He billed his new company as "Lathrop Hay Co., known everywhere as the largest hay company in the world." In 1893, the company expected to produce 27,000 tons of hay for shipping out. Between June 1 and August 18, the company shipped 492 freight cars at 11 tons each.
His son, R. P. Lathrop, later took over the company. By 1920, the warehouse site in Hollister had grown from 10 acres to 37, with four corrugated iron warehouses and 19,600 tons of hay capacity. The plant had a mile of railroad spur tracks, six draft horses, stables, a track scale, and office building. The warehouses were spaced out over the property for fire prevention. The company was charging $1.50/ton to store hay for a year, and was also buying and selling hay as well. R.P. Lathrop claimed Lathrop was supplying a fifth of California's hay demand..."
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