One night in 1954, I was coming out of my driveway and could see a red glow in the sky to the south. As I came closer to the town of Hopland, the red glow became more intense. At the edge of town, I could see flames shooting upward. Knowing the town, I could realize that only one building was large enough to create a fire this big. My suspicions were confirmed as I reached the south part of Hopland. The fire was burning down the Molton Pear Packing Shed. The only packing shed in Hopland at that time. However, I am told at one time there were up to five.
The new Patrich-owned Molton shed was rebuilt not looking anything like I remember. It also included a scale for weighing the pear loads that came from the two owned orchards. Before being rebuilt and including scales, the loads of pears were weighed at public scales that my grandfather owned at the corner of Highway 175 and the railroad tracks. Having two scales in town , and not having the Molton business and the addition of having the addition of a second scales in town cut into my grandfather’s revenue for owning and operating his scales seasonally.
Molton had two daughters. He purchased two pear ranches so that as I remember the husbands of each daughter could raise pears for the pear shed that when packed would significantly increase the income from the pears.
The first pear ranch was just north of Hopland east of highway 101. This orchard was operated by the local Judge J.F. Pat Manning. This was a time when local Judges did not need to be attorneys. Judge Pat held local court in one room of his big white house just at the edge of town on the west side of highway 101. His primary caseload was presiding over people who received CHP speeding traffic tickets.
You did not want to stand before judge Pat. He would give you a two-hour lecture before passing judgment. Be sure you came to court with enough money to pay the fine. If you came back a second time you would get the same lecture over again.
The second pear orchard was located on Old River Road east of the Russian River. This orchard was also operated by a son-in law B.C. (Red) McFarland who ran a very good operation. All of the pears were hauled down to the Molton packing shed in Hopland.
I don’t remember where the fruit went the year after the fire but the shed was rebuilt complete with scales. Eventually pear packing stopped in Hopland and all the pears were sold to canneries. Today there is only one pear grower in Hopland. A changing of the times.
(with Jillian Stemen)
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