Decoto Cannery

With the proximity of rail shipping and locally grown fruit and vegetables, Decoto was a prime place to place a cannery.

Around 1919, the Decoto Canning Company was formed and a cannery was built next to the railroad tracks between H, I, and 10th streets.

An advertisement in the July 21, 1919 edition of the Oakland Tribune advertised jobs at the cannery with "a long season; good wages." The cannery handled pears, tomatoes and apricots. Pears were bought from orchards in Danville at $85 a ton.

In 1920, the Better Pack Canning Company purchased the cannery, built additional buildings and added new equipment. In late 1921 the cannery was sold to K. Hovdon, which had canneries in Monterey and San Diego.

The cannery ran only when there was fruit or vegetables to can. If the produce was not the quality or quantity needed the cannery stayed closed.

In 1926, John Soto of Decoto was burned on the arms and hands when the furnace that he was working on "backfired." Dr. Charles Law of Decoto treated John for his burns and transported him to Hayward General Hospital.

That same year, Superintendent Keuhne reported that almost all of the tomato crop in Washington Township was being canned at the factory. By 1930, about 20,000 cases of tomato sauce was produced.

In 1932, Joseph Pearce, a former official at the Hunts Cannery in Hayward, purchased the Decoto cannery, canning produce under his name. In September of the same year, the cannery donated a ton of tomatoes to the Salvation Army to be distributed to needy families suffering from the Depression. The first season under Pearce the cannery packed 85,000 cases of fruit and vegetables.

For the 1933 season the cannery started in January canning spinach. In March spinach from the Patterson ranch (now Ardenwood Regional Park) was harvested and lasted through April. Next in season was asparagus, then apricots.

In 1934 "communist agitators" were arrested at the cannery, where they were attempting to cause a strike. A newspaper report stated the men were armed with pick handles. Deputy sheriffs arrested five of the men.

That same year, the cannery assisted the Department of Agriculture in a plan to can beef from cattle brought from the drought stricken Midwest. The canned beef was used for Depression relief work.

In early 1937, fire struck the Pearce cannery. The fire destroyed the warehouse and its contents of canned tomatoes, spinach, fruit and vegetables, all ready for shipment. The Decoto fire department was aided by the Hayward, Centerville and Niles fire departments. The fire was reported about 3:30 p.m. and by 6 p.m. the fire was under control. The damage was estimated to be between $75,000 and $80,000. The firemen were able to save the main warehouse, which contained about $100,000 is produce.

By 1949, the cannery was being operated the Marlo Packing Company, employing more than 200 people and canning about 3,400 cases of peaches daily. In 1950, the cannery was purchased by the Alaco Preserving Company.

From newspaper reports it is not clear when the factory closed and was later torn down. Homes now occupy the location where the cannery used to be. Most were built from 1976 to 1979.