mr. kerney was hired by mr. william chapman who bought a lot of the property out here through agricultural script. he hired mr. kerney to develop these colony farm systems out here. so they started the first colony farm, central colony out here in this area. that is really where he made his money. he was a great land promoter. he learned really -- or enticed people to come out here to the central valley and, you please, settle here. -- most of property the properties were 20-acre farms and the thing that really brought people out here was irrigation. the canals would bring to the colonies their own irrigation water. also vineyards were planted for them and other fruit trees and so on. so it really was a great opportunity for people to settle in this region. the first crop they realized was successful was wheat. there was a wonderful wheat field growing here. once they realized they could bring water from the rivers to irrigate it the soil out here was ideal. but eventually, fruit crops, raisins were a big part o

mr. kerney did not intend to live here permanently. he had ideas for a grander chateau to be built here on the property. and so he lived here a few years until he died in 1906. mr. kerney was really a self-made man. he was not born here in