San
Joaquin County
Biographies
ANTONE LOUIS LOPES
An enterprising, successful dairyman
whose progress has set the pace for other agriculturists in the same field, is
Antone Louis Lopes, the proprietor of a first-class dairy herd of some 200 head
of high-grade Holstein cattle, on a dairy farm with new modern and model barns
situated about six miles southwest of Stockton, near Brandt’s Ferry Bridge, on
Upper Roberts Island. He has a senior
and junior registered pure-bred sire from the Holstein herd of Morris &
Son, at Woodland, and that speaks for itself.
Like many others who have made a
success of dairying in California, Antone L. Lopes hails from the Azores,
having been born on the Island of St. George, on December 15, 1881, the son of Daniel
and Mary C. (Azevedo) Lopes, also natives of the
Azores. The parents came out to America
fourteen years ago, and now they are living in comfortable retirement at the
home of our subject, where their daughter, Amelia, also resides, ardent
admirers of California and her free and helpful institutions. Manuel Lopes, a brother, and Mrs. Adelaide Cotraia, of Benicia, a sister of Antone, are successful
dairy ranchers of Solano County. A
brother, Joseph, and a sister, Mrs. Serafina Machado,
are extensive and successful dairy ranchers at Gridley, and partners of our
subject. Another sister, the eldest, is
Mrs. Mary Silva of San Jose.
After having passed the age of
twenty-one, on July 1, 1903, Antone Lopes left home to cross the Atlantic
Ocean. Arriving in New Bedford,
Massachusetts, he immediately crossed the American continent to California and
at Vallejo went to work on a dairy ranch for his brother, Manuel Lopes, and his
uncle, Tony Dos Rios, who were partners, to earn money to pay $400 for three acres
adjoining his father’s farm. This he
paid out of his wages in eighteen months and this property he still owns. With commendable courage he continued working
steadily at thirty dollars per month, sixteen hours a day (two shifts) and no
holidays until he decided to go into business on his own account.
He chose as a partner his brother,
Manuel Lopes, of Benicia, and together they established a dairy, in 1906; but
four years later, he sold his interest to his uncle, Tony Dos Rios, and removed
to Butte County, and for eleven years he carried on dairying near Gridley,
where he still has interests. At
Gridley, he took up the study of English and went to night school, and the good
fruits of this bit of enterprise, denoting in itself a
promising ambition, were shown when he applied for United States citizenship
and mastered the necessary examination.
December, 1921, Mr. Lopes came down
to this county, having secured the lease on his present property known as the
Laurence & Stephens rancho, and having much to offer, he was given a
five-year lease, with very favorable terms.
This farm is beautifully located, and consists of 240 acres, well
irrigated, an ample supply of water being lifted from the San Joaquin River to
canals, from which it is distributed by gravity, the flow covering the alfalfa
fields so that the green feed is to be had the entire year around.
Since establishing himself in
business here, Mr. Lopes, on account of his record for honesty and integrity of
purpose was not only offered the lease of his old ranch he left at Gridley, but
they begged him to take it again, so with his brother Joseph as a partner, they
moved a dairy herd they had on one of the Stanford ranches at Vina to the
Gridley ranch and now they are conducting a first class sanitary dairy there,
having 300 head of dairy cattle. His
dairy herds on both ranches are high grade Holsteins, as he has always had
pure-bred sires at the head of his herd and is considered an authority on dairy
cattle. Since April, 1922, Mr. Lopes has
constructed his model farms, thoroughly scientific and sanitary in every
respect, and there he carries on such a lively enterprise that he employs
regularly at least six men. His products
are shipped direct to the San Francisco market, where they find a ready sale at
good prices through the San Francisco Milk Producers, of which he is a
member. So arranged is the outfitting of
this model dairy that it is truly one of the show-places of San Joaquin County.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1220-1223. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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