San Joaquin County
Biographies
JAMES MURRAY BIGGER
J. M. BIGGER, of the Oakland
Ranch Dairy, and proprietor of Stockton Cheese Factory, has been carrying on
the dairy business in this county since 1867. The Oakland ranch is on Rough and
Ready Island, five miles below Stockton, and the factory is in Stockton. The
property has been for many years devoted to dairy purposes, having been first
put to that use by S. C. Bigelow, of San Francisco. That gentleman operated the
dairy until 1887, when he leased it to J. M. Bigger for a term of years. There
are 580 acres on the ranch, and all of this land is used by Mr. Bigger, except
thirty acres devoted to vegetables. He has about 300 cows, which are
principally Holstein and Durham grades, and he has thoroughbred Holstein and
Durham bulls. In 1888 he built and established the first and only cheese
factory in San Joaquin County, and manufactures cheese especially for the
Stockton market. He manufactures about 60,000 pounds annually, of the
California and Young American shapes. Owing to his extensive knowledge of the
business, he has been able to make this pioneer enterprise a success, something
that would have been impossible here without thorough practical experience. His
entire business is thoroughly systematized, and only the most approved methods
and appliances are used in all departments. At the ranch he has a system of
ditches throughout its length and breadth, and the water is never so low but
that it can be run on the land when the tide is in. It is conveyed right to the
cows by this method. Some alfalfa is raised, and this with cultivated grasses
and wheat, hay and mill feed, such as bran, etc., is fed to the cows. A stream
launch, owned by the dairy, make regular trips between the ranch and the cheese
factory in Stockton, conveying milk into the city, and whatever else is
required in either direction. All the products of the dairy and factory find a
ready market, and Mr. Bigger has built up a very extensive business in all
lines. He has practically all the cream trade of the city, and supplies over
500 families and most of the hotels with milk, while the business is constantly
increasing.
Mr. Bigger, the proprietor, has been
practically reared to his present business. He was born in Canada, February 17,
1845, his parents being James S. and Amelia (Kenny) Bigger. He was reared on a
farm in his native country, and when a young man went to New York State, and
from there to Crawford County, Pennsylvania, where he started in the dairy
business, twelve miles from Meadville. At that time there were five or six
cheese factories in that community. He helped organize a country dairymen’s
association, and afterward took an active part in the forming of the State
Dairymen’s Association of Pennsylvania, being chosen as corresponding secretary
of both. He was considered an expert on the quality of cheese, and had charge
of the State exhibit at the Centennial Exposition.
In 1884 Mr. Bigger came to California, and
made cheese at Davison’s celebrated factory in the Santa Clara valley, the most
successful in California. His wife was formerly Miss Elizabeth Farrington. Her
father afterward removed to Canada and built the first cheese factory, where he
was heavily engaged in the manufacture of cheese until his death. He was an
authority on matters pertaining to the business, and was president of the
Canadian Dairymen’s Association. He was the particular friend of L. B. Arnold,
late of Rochester, New York, and was his tutor, and to the interest taken in
him by Mr. Farrington, Mr. Arnold largely attributed his success in life.
Mr. Bigger is a trustee of Upchurch Lodge,
A. O. U. W., and is a director of the San Joaquin Valley Building and Loan
Association.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 305-306. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2008 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Biographies
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