Legacy

The Sill family's story in California began nearly two centuries ago, when Daniel Sill arrived from Michigan in 1832 as an employee of the Hudson Bay Company. A true pioneer, he helped shape the early foundations of the state during California's formative years. Several years after his arrival, Daniel built the fifth building in San Francisco, which also served as his blacksmith shop. In 1839, he constructed what is believed to have been California's first grist mill, further contributing to the growth and development of the young state.

The legacy continued with his son, Daniel Sill Jr., who farmed in Northern California and raised eight children, passing on the values of hard work, entrepreneurship, and stewardship of the land.

One of those children, Benjamin H. Sill, was born in Santa Clara in 1869 and spent his early years on a farm in the Sacramento Valley. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to become a carriage maker in Marysville before farming for Senator Leland Stanford in Tehama County.

In 1895, Benjamin settled in Bakersfield, where he became involved in the oil, mining, and real estate industries, as well as the Fred Gunther Company, a farm implement business serving the region's growing agricultural community. In 1910, he established the family's farming operation in Shafter on 320 acres.

Over the generations, that original acreage has grown into a diverse and thriving agricultural enterprise encompassing approximately 4,600 acres of farmland. The Sill family also acquired a 5,000-acre water storage facility in Fresno County and today stewards more than 30,000 acres of cattle ranches throughout California.

For nearly 200 years, the Sill family has played a role in California's history—from the earliest days of San Francisco to the fertile fields and ranchlands of the Central Valley. Their legacy is one of perseverance, innovation, and a deep commitment to caring for the land and the communities it sustains.