County Histories

Glenn County

Glenn County lies in the west central portion of the Sacramento Valley.  Its eastern boundary for the most part is the Sacramento River, and its western line extends into the Coast Range Mountains.  It is about thirty miles wide with an average length of about fifty miles, and contains one million acres of land.

“The eastern half of the county lies in the valley proper and is level and adapted to farming of all kinds.  About midway between the eastern and western boundaries, the land becomes broken by low rolling hills, which increase in altitude as they near the western line, until they become the Coast Range Mountains.  The foothill and rolling land is adapted to grain and fruit growing, much of it being cropped.  In the higher altitudes there is a great area of fine grazing land, almost numerous small valleys, which are exceedingly productive.  The mountains are clothed with forests of merchantable timber.

“The county has undergone rapid development during the past ten years.  Great farms of 10,000 acres or more, which were formerly cropped only to grain have been and are now being subdivided and sold in small tracts to newcomers.  Thousands of new families have settled in the county and new methods of farming and new crops have been introduced.  Irrigation has been practiced and wrought wonderful changes.  Alfalfa has to a large extent taken the place of grain, and dairying and stock raising have become important and profitable industries.

“One of the most successful irrigation projects ever carried to completion under the supervision of the United States Reclamation Service, is in Glenn County.  This is the Orland Project which will irrigate 21,000 acres of land near Orland, a rich section in the northern part of the county.  The system was built and is now managed by the United States Government.  Eventually it will belong to the land owners benefitted (sic), as they are paying the government the cost of construction in ten equal yearly payments.  Under the law governing the project no land owner can hold more than 160 acres within the project.  Wonderful prosperity has followed the completion of this system.  The water is taken from Stony Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River. 

“Thousands of acres in Glenn are irrigated by the Sacramento Valley Irrigation Company, which takes water from the Sacramento River and conveys it by canals to the fertile farms, consisting of about 200,000 acres.  Deep well irrigation is also followed, there being an abundant subterranean supply.

“Artesian water has been developed at Germantown in great quantities at a distance of about 500 or 600 feet, which adds materially to the irrigation of the uplands.

“In former years Glenn was noted for its great yields of barley and wheat.  While it still produces quantities of these important grains, much of its best land has recently been planted to other and more profitable crops.  The planting of fruit trees has been particularly heavy during the past few years.  These new orchards include all varieties of deciduous and citrus fruits and nuts.  Indeed, Glenn County has been selected by the James Mills Orchard Company for a plantation of 10,000 acres devoted exclusively to citrus fruits.  The planting of this orchard has been under way for several seasons and when it is completed, it will be the largest citrus fruit grove in the world.  The deciduous fruits produced include all the standard profitable varieties of the Sacramento valley, which are the apricot, cherry, peach, plum, prune, pear and grape.  Berries of all kinds are also grown, and as stated in a preceding paragraph, alfalfa is an important crop.  It is one of the best crops to engage the attention of a newcomer.

“The production of sugar beets has been found profitable in Glenn.  There is a large sugar factory at Hamilton, in the northern part of the county and it is supplied with beets grown in this and neighboring counties.  Beets produce heavily on the river lands and on the uplands when irrigated.

“Broom corn is another crop that is grown extensively along the river lands.  It yields about 100,000 pounds to the acre and pays well.

“Glenn is also one of the counties of the Sacramento valley that has land within its borders suited to the culture of rice.  Rice has been grown successfully here for several seasons.

 “English walnuts and almonds are both paying crops and there is a large acreage in the county suited to the successful culture of the olive.

“Stock raisers and poultry raisers find unsurpassed natural conditions here.  In the northern part of the county there are many farms devoted exclusively to the production of turkeys.

“Vegetables of practically all kinds are produced and find ready markets in the large California cities.

“Glenn has excellent rail and water transportation facilities.  The main line of the Southern Pacific Company passes through the county from north to south and a branch road serves the river districts of the county.  The West Side Electric Line, which is now being built, will pass through the county.  The Sacramento River, which separates Glenn from Butte, is navigable the year round.

“The principal city and county seat is Willows, a growing community situated near the geographical center of the county on the main line of the Southern Pacific Company.  Willows is lighted by electricity, has a good water and sewer system.  It has good business buildings and large stores.  One of the county’s high schools is located here.

“Orland is another growing community in the northern part of the county.  It is in the center of the Orland irrigation project, previously mentioned. It is out of the frost belt and noted for its almonds and a rapidly growing and profitable citrus industry.

“Hamilton is on the Southern Pacific branch road.  It is in the center of the beet growing districts and is the location of a large sugar factory.

“Germantown is in the center of a rich farming district in the valley section of the county.  Other important towns are Butte City, on the Sacramento River, Elk Creek, in the foothills, and Norman, on the Southern Pacific Railroad.

“Glenn offers excellent opportunities for new settlers.  Land is cheap, when its productive capacity is taken into consideration, and water for irrigation is abundant.”