Forthcamp, Ernest August

Ernest August Forthcamp was a visionary vineyardist and real estate developer born in Fresno County in 1884. He was the son of John D. Forthcamp, a prominent German-born pioneer who had established some of the earliest commercial vineyards in the San Joaquin Valley and platted the original Forthcamp Avenue residential district.

Taking over his family’s agricultural operations at the age of eighteen, Forthcamp aggressively expanded the estate into a premier 140-acre vineyard. He constructed a private packing plant along the Interurban Railroad line to pack and ship his table grapes directly to eastern markets under his signature “The Gobbler” brand. Beyond his viticultural success, he furthered his father’s urban legacy by plotting Forthcamp Addition No. 2, converting fifteen acres of family land into a highly sought-after, modern residential addition of Fresno.