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


FRANK J. NOLAN. � A skilful captain of industry who, as president 
and manager of the Fresno Cooperage Company, has well guided the affairs 
of one of the city's most important business organizations is Frank J. Nolan, 
who was born in Santa Cruz in 1877, was educated in the public schools of 
San Francisco, and in the Pacific metropolis learned the cooper's trade. In 
April, 1903, he came to Fresno, and for some time made barrels by hand, for 
which he became locally famous. Few craftsmen were more needed in the 
early days of Fresno than a first-class cooper ; and Mr. Nolan's ability, to- 
gether with his steady, conscientious application to the work of each day, 
and his desire to leave nothing undone to please his customers, speedily told 
in favor of the new enterprise. 

When the steady increase in patronage warranted the move, the business 
was incorporated in 1007, for $50,000, and a fully equipped barrel machine 
plant was installed. Teri years later the business was reincorporated for 
twice the former amount. Located on a tract of fifteen acres at California 
and East Avenues, the cooperage plant has a capacity of from 800 to 1,000 
barrels per day and employs from sixty to eighty men ; and it keeps the 
special sidings of both the Santa Fe and the Southern Pacific railroads busy 
handling over $750,000 worth of business that is done there annually. Bar- 
rels to the number of 150,000 are shipped annually to different points in 
California; and the concern receives annually 150 carloads of staves and 
forty carloads of headings from the southern states, and about twenty-five 
carloads of steel from Pennsylvania.