Lodi Historical Society

1869
August of 1869: City of Lodi Founded.

Charles O. Ivory and John M. Burt establish the “Ivory Store”, which was located at the corner of Pine and Sacramento Streets; it acted as magnet of sorts, drawing homesteaders and other businesses to the area.

1875
E.W. Spencer and his self-contained photographer’s wagon. He later had a permanent studio in Lodi between the years of 1902 and 1914.

Courtesy of Bank of Stockton.

1876
In Woodbridge – Attendees celebrate defeat of the 1846 Mexican Land Grant (Los Moquelemos)

Courtesy of Bank of Stockton.

1880
San Joaquin County raises the largest single wheat crop in the world - some 3.4 million bushels, much of it grown in Lodi.

Courtesy of Red Truck Designs.

1881
Ralph Ellis, with his sons, found the Lodi News Sentinel, originally headquartered on Elm Street.

The photo is circa 1900, the Lodi News-Sentinel newspaper operations moved to North Sacramento St., two doors north of Pine St. The Pocket Watch sign was for the G.W. Hill Jewelry Store. Harry Lillie, operated his merchant / tailor shop next door.

Courtesy of Bank of Stockton.

1886
Grown without irrigation, 3,000 carloads of watermelons were shipped from Lodi.

Courtesy of Wright Realty.

1888
Benjamin F. Langford launches the original Bank of Lodi with a capital stock of $25,000.

Courtesy of Lodi News Sentinel.

1896
Tom and Wood Henderson buy hardware dealership from John Collins, and Henderson Bros. Hardware is born (closed in 2001).

Courtesy of Yellow Pages.

1897
Wilhelm “Columbus” Hieb and his wife Charlotte arrive in Lodi with their eight children; they were the first of a wave of migration by Dakotans of German descent - a group that would shape the city’s development through the present day.

1874
March 21, 1874: Assembly Bill 639 changes the town’s name from Mokelumne to Lodi.

Courtesy of the State of California.

1876
The Lodi Flouring Mill is established in a brick building at the southwest corner of Main and Locust Streets; it was capable of producing more than 200 barrels of flour a day.

Courtesy of Wright Realty.

1878
Lodi’s population is 450.
Gertie DeForce Cluff establishes Lodi’s first newspaper; The Valley Review.
San Joaquin County is divided into five townships (now called Districts) with Lodi in the 4th, called Elkhorn Township.

Courtesy of Rare Newspapers.

1880’s

In the 1880’s, Lodi was known as the watermelon capital of the country. This photo shows a four-horse team pulling a freight wagon in Lodi filled with watermelons.

Courtesy of Bank of Stockton.

1884
L.D. Green pushes A. Lutz in a wheelbarrow down Sacramento Street as partial payment for a bet on the 1884 Presidential election. Green backed Republican candidate James G. Blaine, while Lutz supported Grover Cleveland.

Courtesy of Bank of Stockton.

1887
Fire destroys downtown area along the west side of the block of N. Sacramento Street, between Pine and Elm Streets.

Courtesy of Wright Realty.

1891
Limited water and gas service is now available to the citizens of Lodi.

1895
Grand Army of the Republic (Civil War Veterans) reunion at Stoddards Hall in Lodi.

Courtesy of Bank of Stockton.

1899
Lodi is said to have 2,346,061 grapevines.