John Reid Wolfskill (September 16, 1804 - May 27, 1897) was a California pioneer who helped establish development of California's agricultural industry in the Sacramento Valley in the 19th century. In 1842, Wolfskill was the first settler to plant vineyards and fruit trees there. Born in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, he migrated to join his brother William in California, where they bought land near Sacramento. Wolfskill became a pioneer of Solano County: "he was the first English speaking man to settle in the area around what is now Winters, California". His brother, William Wolfskill, had migrated earlier to California and also contributed to its agricultural development, primarily in Southern California in the area of present-day Los Angeles. After they were settled, their younger brothers Milton, Mathus, and Sarchal Wolfskill joined John on his land grant Rancho de los Putos, later renamed as the Wolfskill Ranch. In 1935 Wolfskill's descendants donated 100 acres of the ranch to University of California, Davis for use as an experimental orchard. Early years Wolfskill was born near Richmond, Kentucky on September 16, 1804. He was the son of Joseph and Sarah Reid Wolfskill. His paternal grandfather, Joseph Wolfskill, was a native of Germany, who immigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Joseph had lived in North Carolina a while, and moved to central Kentucky. Wolfskill's maternal grandfather, John Reid, after whom Wolfskill was named, was a native of Ireland and immigrant to the British colonies. During the American Revolutionary War, he was taken prisoner by the British at Charleston, South Carolina. He later settled in Kentucky. The Wolfskill family were among early migrants from Kentucky to Missouri in 1809, where they settled at Boone's Lick near the Missouri River west of St. Louis, which was developing rapidly based on the lucrative fur trade. John and his siblings grew up on the frontier. Career In 1828, Wolfskill set out from Missouri for Santa Fe, New Mexico, which was still part of independent Mexico. His older brother William Wolfskill had gone there some time before and worked as a fur trapper in the area for ten years. From there John traveled to Paris, Durango, Colorado, also part of Mexico, and to Chihuahua, Mexico. For the next four years, he worked as a guard in Mexico for the transport of silver treasure between Chihuahua and Matamoras, making a total of eleven expeditions. After some time, Wolfskill took passage from Matamoras