Emil Clemens Horst was once the world’s largest hop grower, cultivating more acres of hops than anyone else at the time. Hops, a key ingredient in brewing beer, require very specific growing conditions, typically thriving in nutrient-rich floodplains near rivers. One of Horst’s earliest and most successful hop farms was located along the American River in Sacramento—on the site now known as Campus Commons.
Horst played a pivotal role in transforming hop production with a patented mechanical separator that streamlined the harvesting process by efficiently removing the hops from the vines and leaves. Although the invention is credited to Horst, it was actually developed by his son-in-law.
A historic film produced between 1900 and 1910 captures the hop harvesting process and the journey of the product to market. Originally stored in a Thomas A. Edison-branded 35mm nitrate film canister, the film was initially thought to be one of California’s earliest commercial motion pictures. Upon closer inspection, the reel turned out to be a reversal copy consisting of three distinct segments.
The first portion features the hop separator operating on Horst’s Campus Commons ranch. The second shows hop fields that may be located in Hopland, California, or possibly Oregon. The final segment documents the weighing and transport of baled hops by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, likely near Portland, Oregon.
When the film underwent restoration, technicians speculated that parts of it could have been shot as early as 1908, possibly by Harold J. McCurry. Editing and compilation may have been handled by the Weister Motion Picture Manufacturing Company of Portland, Oregon. Historical records from the Oregon Historical Society indicate that Weister was only active in 1911 and 1912.
Information and video provided by the Center for Sacramento History, and thanks to Jay Brooks for showing me this film exists.
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