Uncovering the Hidden Legacy of J.G. Boswell: How One Man Built a Secret Empire in California

Discover the untold story of J.G. Boswell and the making of a secret American empire in Mark Arax and Rick Wartzman's book, The King of California. This captivating book provides an in-depth look at the life and legacy of the agricultural magnate, and is widely considered one of the best agricultural science history Books available. With its high-quality binding and pages, easy-to-read format, and overall satisfaction, it's a must-read for anyone interested in the history of American agriculture.
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Details of Uncovering the Hidden Legacy of J.G. Boswell: How One Man Built a Secret Empire in California

  • ISBN-10 ‏ ‎: 1586480286
  • Publisher ‏ ‎: PublicAffairs; 1st edition
  • Best Sellers Rank: #1,301 in Business Professional's Biographies#1,732 in Rich & Famous Biographies#7,815 in U.S. State & Local History
  • ISBN-13 ‏ ‎: 978-1586480288
  • Rich & Famous Biographies: Rich & Famous Biographies
  • Item Weight ‏ ‎: 2.24 pounds
  • Business Professional's Biographies: Business Professional's Biographies
  • Hardcover ‏ ‎: 576 pages
  • Dimensions ‏ ‎: 5.75 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
  • U.S. State & Local History: U.S. State & Local History
  • Customer Reviews: 4.5/5 stars of 256 ratings
  • Language ‏ ‎: English

Comments

Maire: Wonderful book and history, highly recommend it.

United States on Oct 17, 2023

Genesis Press: The book is well-researched, with some very interesting details about the rise of the Boswell cotton farming operation. But unfortunately, the book is also littered with multiple stabs at blaming the Boswell company for everything from high unemployment to closed businesses in the town of Corcoran, Calif. For example, on p. 414: "Nearly one out of four residents in Kings County lived in poverty, and the jobless rate in Corcoran had been stuck at 16 percent for more than a decade."

Well, the truth is that the high unemployment rate in Corcoran mirrors that of most of California's Central Valley: Corcoran and Kings County is very much like Fresno and Tulare counties when it comes to joblessness. The agriculture business has traditionally been seasonal, so there are periods of unemployment during the year. Variable weather conditions can also impact jobs.

Authors Arax and Wartzman also rail against Boswell and other big growers for accepting subsidies from the federal government, but even they point out that Boswell was opposed to subsidies and was in favor of a free market economy. The authors also quote a Corcoran resident who laments the loss of businesses and refers...

United States on Aug 24, 2023

MicroCapClub: I've written about JG Boswell (BWEL) a couple of times here on MicroCapClub, but I finally finished reading the only book that gives a detailed history of the company and man behind it. JG Boswell is known as the country's largest farm (150,000 acres), which is located in California. The intrigue with the company isn't in the size of the farm, but how it got so large in the first place.

The farm itself is on an old lake bottom, what used to be Tulare Lake. 100 years ago this lake was the largest lake (600 sq miles) west of the Mississippi River, and it was drained dry by farming. The farm to this day continues to tap 15% of the river system/aquifer as irrigation. The true value of the farm even today isn't really the abundance of crops that are produced but in these water rights that are thought to be worth $10's of billions.

The company was started in 1921 by J.G. Boswell, and later run by J.G. Boswell II who is credited for the company's growth from 1952-1984 (died 2009). JG Boswell II was a very intelligent and influential businessman who even served on the board at General Electric (GE) when Jack Welch was CEO. Welch said of Boswell, "A very independent outside...

United States on Apr 10, 2013

Philip Carl: This particular chapter details the rise of a farming empire in California's Central Valley. Coming from Greene County Georgia, the Boswell family built this empire largely on the backs of migrant labor and water--lots and lots of water. One other point: on the way to becoming one of the largest landowners in California, the Boswell's forever reshaped the landscape and drained Tulare Lake.

Prior to settlement, the Central Valley's river floodplain system nourished some 1.4 million acres of tule marshes and wooded wetlands. The draining of vast sweeps of wetlands along with the damming and channeling of four major rivers has altered the landscape in both a manner and at a scale that is, quite literally, unprecedented. If you wanted to focus on a single family/farming empire that played the biggest role in this alternation, then you could do no better than The King of California.

Tulare Lake lies near the southern end of California's Central Valley. The proximity of such a huge, seasonal lake to a large farming operation was a mixed blessing. During dry years, as the shoreline contracted, the land could be transformed to grow grain or row crops. In wet years, however,...

United States on May 03, 2008

Uncovering the Hidden Legacy of J.G. Boswell: How One Man Built a Secret Empire in California Exploring the Future of Food: A Look Into Dan Barber's The Third Plate Exploring the Origins of the World's Earliest Civilizations: A History of the Pre-State Era
Uncovering the Hidden Legacy of J.G. Boswell: How One Man Built a Secret Empire in California Exploring the Future of Food: A Look Into Dan Barber's The Third Plate Exploring the Origins of the World's Earliest Civilizations: A History of the Pre-State Era
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Total Reviews 4 reviews 16 reviews 25 reviews
ISBN-10 ‏ ‎ 1586480286 1594204071 0300182910
Publisher ‏ ‎ PublicAffairs; 1st edition Penguin Press; First Edition Yale University Press; 1st edition
Best Sellers Rank #1,301 in Business Professional's Biographies#1,732 in Rich & Famous Biographies#7,815 in U.S. State & Local History #749 in Gastronomy Essays #836 in Food Science #2,160 in Celebrity & TV Show Cookbooks #388 in History of Civilization & Culture#1,386 in Asian History #3,770 in Engineering
ISBN-13 ‏ ‎ 978-1586480288 978-1594204074 978-0300182910
Rich & Famous Biographies Rich & Famous Biographies
Item Weight ‏ ‎ 2.24 pounds 1.7 pounds 1.12 pounds
Business Professional's Biographies Business Professional's Biographies
Hardcover ‏ ‎ 576 pages 496 pages 312 pages
Dimensions ‏ ‎ 5.75 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches 6.38 x 1.54 x 9.5 inches 1 x 6 x 9 inches
U.S. State & Local History U.S. State & Local History
Customer Reviews 4.5/5 stars of 256 ratings 4.7/5 stars of 1,012 ratings 4.5/5 stars of 944 ratings
Language ‏ ‎ English English English
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