Gustine celebrates 100 years

This year marks the 100th birthday of Gustine, the dairy-heavy West Side city of fewer than 6,000 people.

A centennial celebration is set to begin with drinks and appetizers at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Al Goman Center, 745 Linden Ave., followed by guest speakers at 7 p.m. The Gustine Historical Society also plans to show turn-of-the-century footage of the town, as well as other displays. Tickets are $15.

The Gustine Museum marked the centennial on Thursday with the unveiling of a replica of signs that used to sit at the north and south end of town and said “The Dairy Center: Gustine.” A cow called “Elsie” sits atop the words.

Mayor Pro Tem Joe Oliveira said the signs are familiar to those who passed through town 50 or 60 years ago, but they eventually deteriorated. At one point, the signs also were given neon lights to add some flair.

Oliveira said the city hasn’t changed much in his lifetime, calling it “tight-knit.”

Gustine was incorporated on Nov. 11, 1915. For Los Banos founder Henry Miller, the settlement of Gustine was a good way to sell off portions of the Miller and Lux land holdings to appease the German heirs of his business partner, Charles Lux, according to the Merced County Courthouse Museum archives.

Started as a railroad siding and loading dock for Miller’s cattle, Gustine was surveyed in 1906 and opened for settlement. In 1907, there were only 23 people in town; by 1915, there were about 500 residents. With a vote of 114-27, residents incorporated Gustine, demanding paved streets, street lights and public utilities.

Early on, the town became a dairy center in Merced County with the presence of New Era Creamery, Gustine Creamery and California Milk Products.

The end of Miller and Lux’s business influence in Gustine came in 1926 as they closed or transferred all of their interests from the butcher shop to the bank.

During the Prohibition era, Gustine saw one of the largest seizures of bootleg whiskey in the history of Merced County on the old Daly Ranch in 1928.

David Perry, 77, the president of the historical society, said the town feels different than the town he grew up in, but “I still know half the people,” he said.

Perry noted that just one dairy processor, Saputo Dairy Foods, still operates in town, but remembers the others that once called it home. He remembers working in the now-demolished plant on First Avenue, where now sits a McDonald’s restaurant.

During World War II, that plant made casein, a product similar to plastic that’s made from milk and other ingredients.

The second half of the 1950s laid the foundation for Gustine’s growth as its population and economy grew at a significantly faster pace in the 1960s, according to museum archives. Construction of the San Luis Dam and California Aqueduct brought many of the families of the construction workers to new homes in Gustine.

The San Luis Dam was completed in 1968, followed by the dedication of San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. In 1970, Gustine became the first city in California fully connected to 911 emergency services.

George Foster, 77, who along with Perry graduated from Gustine High in 1956, noted that dairies still surround Gustine, but the types have changed. Now, the dairies are massive.

“Used to be a lot of 50-cow dairies,” Foster, a historical society member, said. “Now, the small ones are 500.”

City leaders say the immediate future looks good for “The Dairy Center.”

The City Council has made small-business development a priority, but it also looks to ramp up the presence of industrial jobs, said Mayor Dennis Brazil. “That’s our bread-and-butter,” he said.

This month, the council got a look at plans for a new dairy-processing plant. Feihe International Inc., a Chinese company, presented plans for a plant that has the potential for scores of new jobs and a big bump in tax revenue, Brazil said.

City Manager Sean Scully said the city has tried to sell itself as one that can give companies a personal touch. “It’s difficult for a small city to push economic opportunity like a large city,” he said.

The celebrations of the city’s birth continue with the burial of a time capsule at 11 a.m. Nov. 21 at Henry Miller Park on the corner of Sixth Street and Third Avenue. The party continues with a showing of “Inside Out” at 6 p.m. Nov. 21 in the Goman Center.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Gustine celebrates 100 years."