THE ORIGINAL NUT TREE: A CALIFORNIA ICON

A Vacaville institution for over seven decades, the Nut Tree was a premier roadside destination along the burgeoning California highway system with a reputation that reached far beyond Solano County and even beyond California state lines.

 

In 1848, the start of the California Gold Rush created such a world-wide frenzy for the precious metal, unearthing a mass migration westward, the magnitude of which had not been witnessed in our nation’s history. In 1851 a man by the name of Josiah Allison came west to seek gold, and by 1855 had returned home to Iowa to gather up his family, heading westward once again to settle in the fertile Vaca Valley.

 

Josiah had indeed discovered “gold” in the soil and climate of California and immediately began planting fruit trees. He also planted a single black walnut tree beside the Emigrant Wagon Road which we know today as Interstate 80.

 

In 1921, Josiah Allison’s granddaughter, Helen Harbison, set up a fruit stand under the giant black walnut tree after a summer heat wave simultaneously ripened all the delicious figs. Next to the fruit stand was a rocking chair, a Saturday Evening Post, an American flag and a sign reading “The Nut Tree.”

The following year, a small, one-room shack with a small kitchen addition was built, with walls made of gunny sacks dipped in plaster and covered by palm fronds. Early menus encompassed simple foods focusing on local produce, freshness and quality.

By the early 1950s, the Nut Tree had gained a reputation for distinct trend setting in food development with its innovation of “Western Food”, attracting scores of visitors to its famed restaurant to sample one of their signature dishes, the Pineapple Appetizer. Customers relished the pineapple chunks smothered in marshmallow sauce and served in a pineapple shell.

 

 

This culinary dish alone put the Nut Tree on the map as the third largest importer of pineapples on the West Coast. A specific grade of ripeness had even been established in Hawaii – it was called the “Nut Tree pick”. Alan Temko of the San Francisco Chronicle once labeled the Nut Tree ‘an oasis of good taste’ and as such, left an indelible impression on the traveling public from 1921 to 1995.

 

Over the years, the Nut Tree drew families from far and wide who enjoyed other added attractions like the magical toy store, sampling sweet confections at the bakeshop and chugging along on the Nut Tree Train. In 1962, the United States Postal Service even designated the area “Nut Tree, California” with its very own zip code.

To the chagrin of locals and visitors alike, the old Nut Tree was closed in 1996 and later sold to the City of Vacaville. Today, in collaboration with Nut Tree Associates, the master developer for this new 80-acre mixed-use development, the iconic landmark is being resurrected.

 

Read more about the the Nut Tree Village, Nut Tree Family Park, and the history of the Harbison House.