Olive Milling, Land & Improvement Co.
ClassificationsPhotographs
Date1890
Place DepictedOrange, California, United States, North America
MediumPhotographic print
Dimensions4 1/2 × 7 3/4 in. (11.4 × 19.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Reinhart and Marie Rath
Object number86.14.1B
DescriptionThis photograph depicts the second building of the Olive Milling, Land & Improvement Co. Despite its deceptive name, the mill did not produce olives, but rather the usual flour and feed. The name Olive came from the short-lived settlement named Olive where it was first built by Tom Dillin in 1882, prior to the establishment of Orange County, on a site identified today at the northwestern edge of Eisenhower Park in the City of Orange.Powered by the waters of nearby Santa Ana River, Olive Milling Co. provided all of the flour and feed consumed within the Santa Ana Valley during OC's early days. In 1887 the company was renamed and expanded as the Olive Milling, Land & Improvement Company, purchasing and developing land to the west of the mill in the Olive Hills tract. In 1889, Louis Schorn purchased a half-interest in the Mill for $7,500. The original mill building was destroyed by a fire on September 29, 1889, after which it was rebuilt in a nearby location and reopened on April 8, 1890. The replacement building had three stories and a basement, and reportedly cost $35,000.
Louis Schorn became President of the company and retained the position until 1906 when he sold his interest. This photograph was donated to the Bowers Museum by Louis Schorn's daughter Mrs. Marie Rath. Seven workers are shown in this view with a horse and wagon to the far right edge. In front of three workers in the left foreground is a filled bag of flour or grain standing upright on the ground.
On View
Not on viewCollections
1882-1900
late 19th century
c. 1900
February 1968
November 21, 1889