Denichiro Mukai 's first American employer , a wealthy sheep farmer , eventually sent him to school , where he learned English . His name became shortened to " Ben , " then to the nickname " B.D. " He worked subsequently in various jobs in San Francisco including as a police interpreter and head of an employment agency . B.D. and Sato Mukai moved north to Seattle after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . For a time they had a restaurant on Seattle 's Fourth Avenue . B.D. later worked for Walter Bowen and Company , on Seattle 's Western Avenue " Wholesale Row . " There he became familiar with the strawberries grown on nearby Vashon Island ; he and his wife &mdash; she now suffering from tuberculosis &mdash; moved to the island in 1910 to grow strawberries
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Mukai Cold Process Fruit Barrelling Plant