Wood, Robert M.

Robert M. Wood was born on October 18, 1848, in Wapello County, Iowa, to parents James and Elizabeth (Koontz) Wood. He crossed the plains with his father in 1852, residing in Linn County, Oregon, before moving to California in 1869 and settling in Fresno County in 1870. Upon arriving in Fresno County, he initially engaged in the sheep and stock business at Centerville and later relocated to Sanger, eventually renting up to 40,000 acres for his bands.

In 1904, Robert sold his sheep operations to pursue vineyard, orange, and fruit growing, planting the first vineyard in the Mt. Hammell country. He later developed a 420-acre ranch four miles south of Reedley, allocating 100 acres to prunes and becoming a recognized authority in horticulture. Married in Fresno in 1883 to Emmye Heydcliffe of San Francisco, with whom he had a daughter named Birdie, he was an active Elk, a local Republican leader, and a prominent developer of regional agriculture.