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Louise Bodger Whitman / Bodger Seed Co El Monte California : The House of Bodger [pictorial Company History of Family Business, Seed Company Maps and articles]

1981 Louise Bodger Whitman / Bodger Seed Co El Monte California / Reprint, Privately Published / Self Published

Biography / True Life Story. 192 pages / indexed. Pages are clean and unmarked. Glossy card covers with cloth spine. Firmly readable. Paperback : vintage soft cover edition in good clean condition, a typical used book with some slight wear to edges and spine. As to be expected with used books, there may be some minor bumping, creases, and/or scuffs. Overall a good copy, excellent resource and reading enjoyment. ~ We appreciate your consideration of one of our books, art prints or novelty items. We strive to offer fast, courteous and professional service to all our patrons. Reading is one of life's great pleasures. Please inquire for further details, our items arrive shrink wrapped and well packed. ~ Thank you for viewing and stopping by.~~ About: John Bodger and Sons Company, founded in 1890 in California, was a breeder and producer of flower seeds. Bodger Seeds Ltd, a division of the company, was responsible for breeding and production operations. In 2009, the Bodger Company sold its holdings. During its history, Bodger had operating sites in the following locations in California and Chile: Santa Paula, Los Angeles, Gardena, South El Monte, Lompoc, Covina, Chino and Quillota, Chile. John Bodger and Sons sold off its flower and seed division, called Bodger Seeds, to German company Benary. Along with the sale came ownership of Bodger's facilities in Lompoc and Chile. The Lompoc facility had served as the plant-building headquarters for marigolds and delphiniums, along with stock seed productions for Bodger/Benary. An adjacent field was used to grow sweet peas last year. Bodger was perhaps best known for having planted red, white and blue flowers in the shape of a huge American flag several times on its fields facing the south hills, beginning in World War II. (Lompoc). The most recent flag, which bloomed in 2002, was created with more than 400,000 Larkspur plants and was made to scale, covering 6.65 acres. John Bodger arrived in California from England in 1890 and settled in Gardena, California, where he started the seed company. The Bodger family had been in the seed business for many years in England and John Bodger continued on in California. John Bodger lived in Pasadena and was getting tired of the drive to Gardena, so he came to El Monte and bought some land, well, a lot of land to be exact. The land he bought in El Monte was north of his main building and as far south to where Legg Lake is today. There were fields where the El Monte High School stands today, and included the Tony Arceo Park, the senior center and El Monte Historical Museum. Behind his warehouse was a huge field where he would grow zinnia's and market a special zinnia he called Dahlia-Flowered Zinnia which won a Gold Medal from Britain's Royal Horticultural Society. As the popularity of Bodger's seed business grew, seed companies would come to his farm to learn his growing techniques. During World War II John created a huge US flag on his field using his red, white and blue flowers to reproduce the flag. In the mid 1930's John Bodger leased the land on Tyler for a new high school and civic center for 1.00 dollar a year. The Bodger Seed Company closed down their company after being in business for 100 years. -- Sources: Lompoc Record, Richard's History of El Monte, Snac Cooperative.. Illustr.: Black and White Illustrations. Book. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: Soft cover. Jacket: No Dust Jacket

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