Register of the Mettler (Raymond) Bear Creek Winery Collection, 1934-1974

Processed by Don Walker; machine-readable finding aid created by Don Walker

San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum

11793 North Micke Grove Road

Lodi, CA 95241

Phone: (209) 463-4119

Fax: (209) 369-2178

Email: dwalker@uop.edu

URL: http://www.sanjoaquinhistory.org/

Register of the Mettler (Raymond) Bear Creek Winery Collection, 1934-1974

Collection number: Ms33

San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum

Lodi, California

Contact Information

San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum
11793 North Micke Grove Road
Lodi, CA 95241
Phone: (209) 463-4119
Fax: (209) 369-2178
Email: dwalker@uop.edu
URL: http://www.sanjoaquinhistory.org/

Processed by:: Don Walker
Date Completed:: 1999
Encoded by:: Don Walker

Descriptive Summary

Title: Mettler (Raymond) Bear Creek Winery Collection,

Date (inclusive): 1934-1974

Collection number: Ms33

Creator: Raymond Mettler

Extent: 0.5 linear ft.

Repository: San Joaquin County Museum.

Lodi, CA 95241

Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research by appointment only.

Publication Rights

The library can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying any claimants of literary property.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Mettler (Raymond) Bear Creek Winery Collection, Ms33, San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum.

Access Points

personal name

Nixon, Richard Milhous (1913-1994)

Ford, Gerald R. (1914- )

Reagan, Nancy Davis

corporate name

Bear Creek Winery Association (Lodi, Calif.) - Records and correspondence

subject

Wineries - California - Lodi

Politicians - Correspondence

Wine industry - California - Lodi

Vintners - California - Lodi

geographic name

Lodi (Calif.) - History - Sources

Biography

Raymond Mettler was the son of a Russian German farmer, Henry Mettler, who settled in Lodi (Calif.) in 1905. He was a charter member of the Lodi Future Farmers of America and was a member of the state champion tree judging team (1930). A past President of the Victor Farm Bureau, member of the Board of Directors of the Lodi Grape and Wine Festival, Raymond Mettler was plant superintendent at the Bear Creek Vineyard Association. The Association began bulk wine production shortly after the repeal of Prohibition (1933) and, in an effort to improvement marketing, later joined the Del Rio Winery Association of Lodi and the Muscat Cooperative Winery Association of Fresno in a cooperative known as California Wine Sales (1937). The tremendous success of the newly formed sales agency during the 1940s led to the idea of bottling a variety of products from all member wineries under a single bottling label. This was accomplished in 1944 when the Guild brand was created and the cooperative name was changed to Wine Growers Guild. The company subsequently established a central bottling plant at Lodi (1947). By the 1960s Guild Wineries & Distilleries was the third largest wine producer in the United States, with eight wineries and nearly 500 grower/owners.

Scope and Content

The Mettler Bear Creek Winery Collection consists of payroll, tax and other financial records of the Winery dating from its earliest years (1934-1957). The collection also contains thank you notes to Raymond Mettler from three Republican politicians: Richard Nixon (1960); Gerald Ford (1967); and, Nancy Reagan (1970).

BOX 1: METTLER BEAR CREEK WINERY COLLECTION

1.1: Employee Payrolls, 1934; 1943-1949; 1951; 1953-1955; 1957

1.2: State of California Tax Returns, 1934-1938

1.3: Checks from Bear Creek Vineyard Association to Raymond Mettler, 1938-1940; 1942 [4 items]

1.4: State of California. Dept. of Employment. Unemployment Reserves Commission Contribution Reports, 1938 [12 pp.]

1.5: Bear Creek Vineyard Association Retirement Insurance pmts., 1952

1.6: Richard M. Nixon to Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Mettler, 5-31-60 [thanks for their support at convention]

1.7: Gerald R. Ford to Raymond "Red" Mettler, 2-22-67 [thanks for hospitality during visit]

1.8: Nancy Reagan to Raymond "Red" Mettler, 11-25-70 [thanks for fruit]

1.9: Clipping showing Lawrence Quaccia, Bear Creek Winery's chemist, 1974