Spomer, Rev. August

The Reverend August Spomer, born in Steplonia, Samara, Russia, on September 9, 1856, was the son of George and Barbara Spomer. He grew up on a farm, served in the infantry of the Russian army during the war with the Turks, and married Anna Reinhart in November 1877. After farming in his native land, he immigrated to the United States in February 1888, working initially in a Denver smelter before his wife and four children joined him in Helena, Montana. Moving to Fresno, California, in 1896, he leased a 160-acre ranch at Wildflower to cultivate alfalfa, raise stock, and grow raisins.

Through his success in viticulture and horticulture, Reverend Spomer purchased and leveled raw land in Arizona Colony, eventually building his holdings up to 120 acres. He developed extensive peach orchards and vineyards, becoming a member and stockholder of both the California Peach Growers Inc. and the California Associated Raisin Company. In 1907, as a duly ordained minister, he organized and built the Church of God in Christ on his property, serving continuously as its pastor. He later distributed the majority of his agricultural land among his surviving children, August, Christene, George, Peter, Charles, Adam, and Conrad. As a proud American citizen and Republican, his life work left a permanent contribution to the development of Central California.