San
Joaquin County
Biographies
LOUIS F. BARZELLOTTI
The capable and efficient engineer
of Lodi, Louis Barzellotti, was born in Florence, Italy, on April 1, 1857, and
was educated in his native country.
Finishing his preliminary education he entered the University of Pisa
and was graduated with the degree of M. A.; he received his C. E. degree from
the University of Rome; then took a post graduate course in mineralogy and
geology from the Institute of Florence.
During the year of 1891 he concluded to cast his lot in the land of
greater opportunities and upon arrival in California practiced his profession
of mining engineer in Sierra County for three years; he was also consulted by
horticulturists throughout California on olive and grape culture; for the next
ten years he was consulting engineer for the Corvagie-Tesla
Coal Mining Company. He then was engaged
in railroad construction work in the Mojave Desert and in 1912 located in Lodi
when that thriving city was just starting its era of expansion.
Since his arrival in Lodi, Mr.
Barzellotti has taken an active part in its development. He built a new stone sewer system and twelve
miles of paving; he planned and built the municipal swimming baths in the city
park, the first municipal baths constructed in the state. He is secretary of the City Planning Committee
which has had charge of all recent improvements. He takes a great interest in his work and has
advocated the annexation of more territory to the city. In 1915 he took an active part in the
campaign for bond issue for city improvement which was passed unanimously and
Mr. Barzellotti has witnessed many substantial developments in the
municipality. He specializes on
scientific irrigation, the development of which has been the greatest factor in
the progress of central California; he has frequently been called up to lecture
on this interesting subject and is considered an expert on municipal
engineering and irrigation topics; he has written extensively on these subjects
for a number of periodicals. Mr.
Barzellotti is engineer of Reclamation District No. 548, located in the Delta
District and containing 13,000 acres, this tract of land being originally from
five to six feet below tide-water; he was also irrigation engineer on the
development of two large ranches on Rough and Ready and Roberts Islands. Mr. Barzellotti is serving as vice-president
of the San Joaquin County Association of Civil Engineers. Fraternally he is identified with the Lodi
Lodge, No. 256, F. & A. M., and Scottish Rite
Lodge of Perfection, No. 1, San Francisco.
The marriage of Mr. Barzellotti
united him with Miss Amelia Louise Wetman, a native
of San Francisco. The state of California
and the locality which he has selected for his permanent home owe much to the
men of caliber of Mr. Barzellotti.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1276. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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