Dixon Real Estate Listings of Houses and Homes for Sale in Solano County, California


	Dixon Houses for Sale

Dixon

Dixon was first settled in 1852 by Elijah S. Silvey. He came to the area to find gold in the California Gold Rush but soon realized he could make money by opening an inn and saloon along the stage coach road used by gold miners. By 1865, Silveyville, as the area was called, had a general store, a post office, and a blacksmith in addition to Silvey’s inn and saloon. The buildings in Silveyville literally became Downtown Dixon in the early 1870s as they were moved by flatcar to the land of Thomas Dickson to be closer to the railroad that was built on Dickson’s land. The Dixon Methodist Church, moved to its location in 1871, still stands in Dixon today at 209 N. Jefferson Street. Dickson donated the land for the train depot in exchange for having the town named for him, as Dicksonville. The first shipment to the depot in 1872 was mistakenly labeled “Dixon” and the name stuck. In 1874 the County Recorder decided the name was “simpler” and recorded Dixon on new maps.

By the early 1900s Dixon was known as “The Dairy City,” home of Timm Certified Dairy, once the largest certified dairy in the world, with over 300 cows supplying milk and milk products to San Francisco, Oakland and other Bay Area cities, Sacramento, and to Southern Pacific Railroad dining cars. By the 1920s Dixon had over 30 dairy farmers. The Milk Farm became the most famous dairy in California, and was known throughout the country. The Milk Farm, founded by Karl A. Hess in 1919, was set beside what is now Interstate 80, and consisted of Hess’s relocated ranch operations along with cabin rentals for travelers. Beginning in 1939, Hess offered pony rides, “all-you-can-drink” milk for 10 cents, and inexpensive chicken dinners. In 1940 the Milk Farm was profiled in the Saturday Evening Post. Travelers, including celebrities such as Bing Crosby and Jack Dempsey, stopped at the restaurant and service station. Today the Milk Farm buildings are gone but the animated signs, visible for miles, remain. The original restaurant building was dismantled and stored away. The animated signs, one over 100 feet high, are headed for historic status. The 60 acres of land are for sale with 30 acres slated for commercial development and 30 acres for agricultural development.