George W. Hoag's Record Wheat Harvest

George W. Hoag hired Andrew Putnam Hill to paint Hoag’s record wheat harvest in 1874. Hoag sought to improve agricultural productivity and was especially proud of his immense wheat separator, the Monitor, which he helped design. In a contest of speed, Hoag’s Monitor and team of men easily beat the competition at 3,504 sacks of wheat to 2,440. Hoag is depicted in the central foreground in a black buggy pulled by a handsome team of horses.

Hill, an early Californian painter and photographer, is best remembered today for his role as a conservationist. Born in Indiana, he came to California with his family in 1867. In 1902, through Hill’s leadership, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, northwest of Santa Cruz, became the first redwood state park.