Business and Commerce Panel
This panel represents the optimism, vision, and innovation in business and commerce in Davis throughout its history.
• The Hunt-Boyer Mansion was built by William Dresbach, Davisville’s first postmaster. Also known as “Solano Bill”, he was a notorious and wealthy businessman of questionable repute. The Mansion has housed several businesses and non-profit organizations over the decades.
• The mulberry leaves and silkworms represent the “cocoonery” and mulberry orchard once located on the banks of Putah Creek. It was a thriving business until a ten-day heatwave in 1871 wiped out the silkworms and the silk industry in California.
• The almond trees represent the Davisville Almond Growers Association. A very successful cooperative formed in 1877, the DAGA was extraordinarily influential in getting the train depot established in Davis. The Davisville Almond Growers Association eventually became the company Blue Diamond Almonds, which is still a cooperative today.
• The Twin Pines logo is the national symbol of cooperatives. Since its founding, Davis has benefited from thriving co-ops of many types--from agriculture, to retail, banking, grocery, nursery schools and more.
• The Hunt Wesson tomato processing plant was built in 1963 and thrived after the invention of the tomato harvester at UC Davis in the late 60’s. This led to the development of the famously bouncy “square tomato”, resulting in the revitalization of large-scale tomato production and processing in California. Local activists were thus prompted to pressure the University through legal means to devote more resources to small scale farming, which resulted in a robust family and sustainable agriculture movement.
• The Davis Chamber of Commerce, family-owned businesses, and local entrepreneurs represent the various types of business and commerce in the city over the century.
• Recent Innovations have resulted in new local businesses and non-profits in sustainable agriculture, integrated pest management, green energy and recycling technology, genetics and robotics. Featured in this panel is the logo for Valley Clean Energy, an example of this forward-looking trend in business that is currently housed in the Hunt-Boyer Mansion.