Arriet, Angel

Angel Arriet, born in Navarra, Spain, in 1863, was an early western stockman who became a successful dairyman and viticulturist in Fresno County. After arriving in California in 1884, he initially worked as a sheep herder on the West Side before launching a highly successful sheep-growing partnership with his brother Pedro. He eventually sold his flocks in 1905 to establish a permanent sixty-acre ranch on California Avenue, dedicating his land to alfalfa and Thompson seedless raisin grapes. His agricultural journey highlights the transition from nomadic stock-raising to settled, modern farming in California’s central valley.

A dedicated community member, Angel supported regional agricultural growth through his involvement with the California Associated Raisin Company and the San Joaquin Valley Milk Producers Association. In 1905, he married Dominica Camino, a native of France, and together they raised four children on their well-kept Fresno property. Deeply appreciative of the opportunities afforded by their adopted home, the Arriet family built a lasting legacy rooted in cooperative farming and local commerce. His life reflects the profound impact of European immigrants who helped shape the foundational agricultural industries of early twentieth-century California.