Liberty Farms Company.

The Liberty Farms Company, founded in 1919, reclaimed 5,000 acres of swamp and overflow land in the Sacramento Delta. The property, located eight miles north of Rio Vista and named Liberty Island by Robert Malcolm, was farmed by tenants on a share basis. They produced potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, onions, peas, tomatoes, and other row crops. Liberty Farms Company was sold to the Moresco Brothers Farming Company in 1973.

Administrative History

History

Liberty Island lies eight miles north of Rio Vista, in California's delta region. According to Robert K. Malcolm, who reclaimed and developed it, the island received its name after a levee was built on the northern boundary. "When this was done, the property was completely surrounded by water and as this was during World War I when we were fighting for liberty, I named the property Liberty Island."

On November 17, 1917, Malcolm, George E. Bryan, Thomas A. Keogh, George B. Montagne, and J. H. Rosseter formed Liberty Farm Company and merged their Liberty Island properties. The company was organized to construct levees and drain the land for farming. In February 1919, Liberty Farm Company sold its assets and liabilities to Liberty Farms Company, a second corporation headed by Robert K. Malcolm.

The company expanded to own five thousand acres of highly cultivated land largely farmed by tenants on a share basis. In addition, Liberty Farms Company maintained a labor camp for one hundred permanent residents and accomodations for up to a thousand seasonal laborers. The rich soil of the island produced abundant crops. First potatoes, then other commerical crops from asparagus to zucchini were planted, sprayed, harvested, packed, and shipped by Liberty Farms during its fifty-four year history. In order to support its large scale farming operations, Liberty Farms Company built or acquired a station on the Sacramento Northern Railway, a secondary road to the property, a post office, and a school house for the children of its employees.

From 1918 to 1973, Liberty Island flooded twenty-seven times. High yields from the richer land in the Yolo Bypass helped defray flood repair and maintenance costs. The discovery of natural gas on the property in 1955 and the gas depletion allowance also helped cover rising flood related expenses, but in 1965, after four consecutive flood years, the decision was made to sell because of low profits. The Moresco Brothers Farming Company bought the company property on November 1, 1973, and the Liberty Farms Company liquidated and distributed its remaining assets to the shareholders the following year.

Source: The Story of Liberty Island: Robert K. Malcolm, Founder. Interviewed and edited by Avrom I. Dickman. Davis: Shields Library, Oral History Center, University of California, Davis, 1981