Shasta County
Biographies
CHRIST KUTRAS
Among
Shasta county’s industrious and successful farmers is numbered Christ Kutras,
who owns a well improved dairy ranch near Redding and is an up-to-date business
man and public-spirited citizen. Mr.
Kutras was born in Greece on the 2nd of July, 1892, and is a son of
Nicholas and Ginular (Prekaza)
Kutras. The father, who is deceased, was a county assessor in his country, and
there his widow is still living. To them
were born nine children, all of whom are living, namely: Frank, a farmer in Greece; Anna, the wife of
Christ Hronis, a sheep man in Greece; George, who
came to the United States and became a foreman on the Southern Pacific Railroad,
but is now deceased; Constantina, the wife of John Lahanas, a wealthy shoe factory owner in Greece; Christ, of
this review; Angeline, the wife of Nicholas Mihalis,
a farmer in Greece; Paraskeve, wife of Louie Karungos, a farmer in Greece; Sophia, the wife of George Buzolas, a sheep man in Greece; and Constantine, a merchant
in Greece.
Christ
Kutras received a high school education in his native land and remained at home
until 1910, when, at the age of eighteen years, he came to the United States,
making his way direct to Shasta County, California, where he found employment
with the Southern Pacific Railroad.
After four years of that kind of work, he turned his attention to the
restaurant business in Redding, where he remained for three and a half years. In November, 1917, he enlisted for service in
the World War and went into training at Camp Lewis, Washington. Later he was transferred to Kelly Field,
Texas, and four months later was transferred to Vancouver, Washington, where
his company was occupied in watching the activities of the Industrial Workers
of the World for about four months. Mr.
Kutras was then transferred to the Thirteenth Division and was about to embark
for France when the Armistice was signed.
He was honorably discharged at the Presidio, San Francisco, and in 1919
he secured his citizenship papers. He is
now the owner of one hundred acres of land, on which he runs a dairy. He keeps about thirty milch cows and sells
milk wholesale to the Redding Creamery.
His land is planted to alfalfa, all of which is fed to his cattle, and
he sells his surplus heifers to the local market.
In
1923 Mr. Kutras united in marriage to Miss Frances W. White, a daughter of
Edwin and Grace (Simmons) White, both of whom are of English descent. Mr. and Mrs. Kutras are the parents of a son,
George C., two years of age. Mr. Kutras
supports the Democratic Party and takes an active interest in local public
affairs, but is not an office seeker. He
belongs to the American Legion at Redding and is very popular among his
associates. He has proven a loyal citizen
of his adopted country and by everyone is held in high regard.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Wooldridge, J.W.Major History of Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 2 Pages 247-248. Pioneer Historical
Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010 Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Shasta
County Biographies