Solano, The Way It Was

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Starting an orchard barely panned out for Gills

In my last column, the Home Acres Improvement Association failed to get the teacher promised by the Vallejo School Board even though they had obtained a building for a school.

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Saturday, June 21, 2008

Benicia Tannery was one of the state’s best

During the 19th century, canneries and tanneries formed the core of Benicia’s economy.  The earliest tannery, the Pioneer Tannery, was founded in 1864 and underwent several changes of ownership. Within a short time period others followed, creating a cluster of tanneries.

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Sunday, June 15, 2008

Making a life in Vallejo wasn’t easy for the Gills

When I started this story two weeks ago I made a whopper of a mistake when I said, “Annie wasn’t very generous with dates in her book,” but it appears she and her husband Howard left Florida by train in the winter of 1918. If I was a politician I guess I could say I “misspoke” but truth is always better.

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Saturday, June 07, 2008

Tanneries played important roles in early California

Leather products played an important role in 19th-century lifestyles. Horses needed harnesses and saddles, furniture was upholstered in leather, people wore riding gear, boots, shoes, gloves - everything required a steady supply of high-quality tanned leather.

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