San
Joaquin County
Biographies
MARTIN J. LUND
With the wonderful transformation
that has taken place in the Delta district of San
Joaquin County the name of Martin J. Lund will ever be prominently associated,
for he has been identified with this section for forty-seven years and no one
has taken a more active interest in bringing it to its present high state of
development. He was one of the first men
to build levees in the Island district for the protection from floods of the
rich peat lands which are today the most valuable and fertile farms in
California.
A native of Sweden, Mr. Lund was
born at Skane, November 9, 1851; his father was an
educator as well as an attorney at law, so that Martin naturally received a
good education. Later he apprenticed
himself to learn the bricklayer’s trade, working in this line until he was
twenty-one. In 1873 he left his native
land and came to Boston and after spending some time in Michigan and Indiana he
made his way to California in 1875 and was first employed on a farm in Contra
Costa County, near Concord. In 1877 he
came to Union Island, San Joaquin County, and since that time the history of
this now fertile spot has been a part of his history, for he has been a leader
in every step of its development. He
also helped to develop Roberts Island, building the levees from the first
shovelful, and assisted in making them higher and higher each year.
In 1883 Mr. Lund began farming on
his own account, leasing 500 acres which he devoted to wheat, using a header
and stationary thresher; in 1888 he began using a steam thresher, enlarging his
operations from year to year until he was cultivating 6,000 acres on Union and
Roberts islands, raising more than 100,000 sacks of wheat and barley a
year. Formerly he used 100 horses and
mules in operating his large holdings but he has always been among the first to
use any improved machinery and methods.
He began using a combined harvester in 1892 and when the tractor came
into use he had one of the first in California.
His ranches are all equipped with the most modern machinery and all
details of the ranch work are carried on in the most systematic manner, 75 to
100 practical harvest hands being employed during the busy season. Mr. Lund is a man of original ideas which he
puts into practice with gratifying results; he has had years of experience
which has taught him that each season is different because of varied conditions
and so he is always prepared to meet emergencies. His achievements have set a good example to
others and his plans and ideas have been followed by many landowners because he
has demonstrated practical results.
Especially is this true of the levees, canals and irrigation ditches he
has built which are modern in every respect.
In 1896 Mr. Lund purchased 870 acres on Union Island and he has added to
this until he now has 1,560 acres of rich land devoted to barley, wheat,
potatoes, beans and many other staple products.
During his long career as a rancher he has not always been on the
winning side as a producer as he had many setbacks in the way of losses
amounting to thousands of dollars, particularly from the heavy floods which
broke through the levees a number of years.
He showed his true stamina and courage at these times by assisting in
rebuilding the levees higher and recuperating his losses by raising larger
crops. Besides his grain raising Mr.
Lund devoted much time to raising fine draft horses, having a number of
splendid thoroughbred Percherons.
On September 26, 1888, at Stockton
Mr. Lund was married to Miss Mary Moran, born at Bodega Bay, Sonoma County, the daughter of William and Hannah Moran, worthy pioneer
settlers of San Joaquin County, whose histories are found on another page of
this work. Mr. and Mrs. Lund have one
son, John William Martin, who was educated in the public schools, St. Mary’s
College, and Heald’s Business College, Stockton, and he is now associated with
his father on the farm. He married Miss
Anna Charlotte Van Horn and they have two children, Martin Stanley and John
William. For fourteen years Mr. Lund
resided on Roberts Island, during most of which time he was associated with the
Woods brothers in large farming operations, and he served as school trustee
there. He was one of the organizers of
the school district on Union Island and always a leader in matters of
education. Aside from being an eminently
successful farmer, Mr. Lund is a wide-awake booster for good roads. He has been worker for the proposed highway
across Union Island and has given a sixty-foot right-of-way through his
holdings to Old River, where a bridge connecting Clifton and Coney Islands is
planned. In all matters that tend toward
the upbuilding of this section he shows the same public-spirited interest and
is one of the best known men in the vicinity of Stockton. With his son he is a member of the Stockton
Elks and in politics is a staunch Republican.
Mr. Lund aside from his country
residence maintains a home in Stockton from which place he superintends his
large affairs. He gives no small degree
of credit for his remarkable success to his estimable wife who has always nobly
encouraged and spurred him on in his ambition and aided him in every way to
accomplish success. She is a woman of
much culture and presides gracefully over their home, and both being liberal
and kind-hearted take great delight in dispensing the good, true old-time Californian
hospitality, so it is indeed a pleasure to have the privilege of visiting at
their home.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
352. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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