Fresno County, California Biographies

Source: History of Fresno County, California, with biographical sketches of 
the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with 
its growth and development from the early days to the present (1919)

History By Paul E. Vandor 
Illustrated, Complete In Two Volumes 
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1919
 
Notes: Missing+page1185-1186

Transcribed by Peggy Hooper

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


EMIL NELSON. � Among the enterprising sons of Sweden, who have 
located in California and have achieved success in their chosen line, is Emil 
Nelson, who not only won the reputation of being the best cement contractor 
in Vinland, Barstow, Empire and Kerman districts, but has demonstrated 
his ability as a rancher by successfully engaging in horticulture and viti- 
culture. 

Emil Nelson was born in the old province of Skane (or Scania), near 
Engelholm, Sweden, on January 24, 1884. the son of Nels Anderson, a farmer 
and dairyman. When eighteen years of age he served the required time in 
the Swedish Army, being assigned to the field artillery. Following the ex- 
ample of so many of his fellow countrymen, as soon as his service in the 
army was completed, he sailed for the United States of America, locating 
first at Denver, Colo.; and four months later he continued his journey west- 
ward, arriving in Oakland, Cal., where he secured employment with Blake 
and Bilger, cement contractors, and learned the business of cement con- 
struction. In 1906, Mr. Nelson took a trip to Nome, Alaska, where he spent 
one summer, later returning to Oakland and resuming work with the same 
firm, and continuing in this employ for five years. 

In 1910, Mr. Nelson began business for himself, doing all kinds of cement 
construction work, and so well did he execute his contracts that his patrons 
were more than pleased and he soon established a reputation for doing the 
best cement construction in this part of the county. It was but the just 
reward for his conscientious workmanship that he should receive the contract 
for the cement work at the Kerman Union High School and other schools 
in this section. 

In 1904, when Mr. Nelson first came to California, he was urged to buy 
sixty acres of land at forty dollars per acre, at the opening sale in the Vin- 
land district, but at that time it did not appeal to him as good investment. 
Three years later, realizing that he had made a mistake by not purchasing 
in 1904, he came to Fresno and bought twenty acres at Vinland, paying 
seventy dollars per acre. Just after he had contracted to buy the land a party 
from Oregon offered to purchase it at $100 per acre. This made him eager to 
improve his land and also assured him that he had acted wisely in purchasing 
at this time. After setting out an orchard and vineyard he located on the 
ranch in 1914, and leased forty acres of fruit land adjoining, which he oper- 
ated one year in connection with his ranch. 

Possessing those commendable traits of his fellow countrymen, economy 
and industry, Mr. Nelson saved sufficient money to be able to make loans on 
two tracts of twenty acres each. One of the places, being for sale, he pur- 
chased, and removed to it, thus doubling the size of his holdings. He in- 
stalled a pumping-plant with a Commercial twenty-horsepower engine, and 
a six-inch pump with a capacity of 1,000 gallons per minute, which furnishes 
ample water to irrigate his ranch. About eleven acres are devoted to peaches 
which include the Lovell, Muir and Elberta varieties ; three acres to cling- 
stone peaches, and five to muscat grapes, that are nine years old, and yield 
on an average one and a half tons to an acre. In this locality, muscat grapes 
had previously been considered as a failure, until Mr. Nelson, after two 
years of experimenting, proved that irrigation would increase the yield from 
two-thirds of a ton to one and a half tons per acre. In addition to his vine- 
yard of muscats, he has five acres of Thompson seedless grapes and two 
acres of apricots, the rest of the land being devoted to raising alfalfa. 

Emil Nelson is highly esteemed in his community and is commended 
for his progressive spirit and upright business principles. He is a member 
of both the California Peach Growers, Inc., and the California Associated 
Raisin Company. Mr. Nelson belongs to the Lutheran Church at Vinland, 
of which organization he is secretary of the official board.