Tulare County Biographies

J. M. BOWLES & SONS

Transcribed by Beverly Green

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

 
J. M. Bowles & Sons, proprietors of the Tulare City Flour Mills. - J. M. Bowles 
was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, November 10, 1817. He was born and 
educated upon the farm, and in 1842 emigrated to Adams County, Illinois, and in 
1852 pushed still farther west and crossed the plains for California, and 
settled in Colusa County. He then engaged in the stock business very extensively 
and successfully, making a considerable amount of money. In 1856 he moved to 
Petaluma and purchased 300 acres of land, continuing the stock business and 
doing some farming. Scott Bowles, the manager of the Tulare mill was born in 
Adams County, Illinois, in 1848, and was educated at Brayton College, at 
Oakland, and at the State Normal School at San Jose. Bourbon Bowles was born in 
Petaluma in 1857, and was educated at McClure's Academy at Oakland. Upon 
arriving at years of discretion the sons became identified with the father in 
the farming business, and in 1879 they built a stone flour mill at Petaluma, 
with a capacity of 100 barrels every twenty-four hours, doing a general milling 
business. This they continued very successfully for several years, until the 
erection of roller mills in this vicinity, and then, rather than alter their 
stone mill, they decided to come to Tulare County, the banner County in wheat, 
and there build anew. They bought eight acres south of Tulare, on the line of 
railroad, and there built their fine structure, 30 x 50 feet, four stories high, 
with two additional storage rooms, 20 x 70 each. The mill is fitted with the 
most improved machinery, using five double sets 9 x 18 rolls, Stevenson's 
patent, with a capacity of 100 barrels of flour every twenty-four hours. The 
flour thus made is on the gradual reduction process, and is considered vastly 
superior to that made by the old stone mills. The Messrs Bowles are identified 
among their competitors as making a good grade of flour, and being centrally 
located on the Southern Pacific R. R., they do a large amount of shipping 
business, besides supplying their local trade. They have also improved the 
quality of wheat to a great extent in their section of the county, by 
encouraging the growth of white wheat, which is the superior for flour purposes, 
and is now extensively raised.
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SOURCE. Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare and 
Kern, California.; Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1892, Page 817