The Story of Apple Hill

The year was 1951 and Floyd Bolster decided to retire in a community called Camino. He bought a ranch that had 10 acres of producing apple trees and dreamed of working his land and reaping the rewards of the life of a farmer.

Six years later, Floyd Bolster died, and his son Gene left his job in Southern California to come to the ranch and complete his father's dream.

In 1964, Gene Bolster, local grower; Dick Bethell, the county's pomology specialist and farm advisor; Ed Delfino, the county's agricultural commissioner: and Bob Tuck, a retired army officer, all united to form the Apple Hill Growers Association. This is the 40th year and Apple Hill continues to attract people from all over the world.

Bolster and Delfino set out to discover a way to help the ranchers keep their farms and make the rich soil of Camino productive again. In 1962 Bolster and Delfino visited Oak Glen in Southern California.

"They had a successful marketing program, so we got a copy of their bylaws and improved on them," Delfino said.

Armed with this information, they returned to Camino, gathered the local ranchers together and formed the growers association called Apple Hill.

"We faced competition from Washington State apples," Bethell said, "but the growers in Camino had to do something."

Bolster stated that the apples on the hill may not have that long shape, like the Washington apple. "They have longer days than we do. We have an ideal growing season, with a long chilling season. In other words, the trees stay dormant longer. So while a Washington apple may look great, our apples have better flavor."

The name "Apple Hill" was created by Bob Tuck. "It was amazing how much we accomplished in such a short time," Bolster said. "We started in mid-June of 1964 and had everything ready for the first press picnic in August."

During the press picnic, each Apple Hill family hosted individual members of the press for a meal at their home and many of them became close friends. The growers also produced 50,000 paper litter bags that they passed out at the State Fair that year, offering two pounds of free apples to visitors who brought the litter bag to Apple Hill with them.

The Apple Hill Growers Association has grown from 16 original ranchers to over 55 ranchers, including Christmas tree growers and wineries, vineyards, micro brewery and a spa.

Another suggestion from Clarice Larson was to show visitors what could be done with apples in cooking. She originated the first place to sample some of the homemade desserts, baked goods, jams, jellies and sauces. In some of the ranches' Web pages you will find a sample of the growers' favorite recipes.

"Apple Hill was the first ranch marketing effort in Northern California," Delfino said, "and its success is shown by the fact that now there are ranch marketing groups all over. Apple Hill is a great example of government, farmers and media working together for everyone's good."

So much of the history of Apple Hill has been preserved. The community has gone to tremendous effort to protect their history and offer the public an opportunity to step back in time, if only for a day. Visitors will find their day filled with old-fashioned fun. Plan a picnic on the lush land that surrounds these exciting ranches. Their doors are opened and the growers have gone the extra mile to ensure your family a day that they will remember.