Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series about people, places and things in San Joaquin County as the county its 175th anniversary.

Architectural buffs know Lodi for having one of the few remaining Mission Revival ceremonies structures in California — the Lodi Arch.

The arch, complete with a California Golden Bear atop it along with three mission-style bells,  have graced the eastern entrance to Lodi’s downtown since 1907.

Hardcore soda fans know it as the birthplace of A&W Rootbeer in 1919.

Lodi’s current A&W features a vast collection of A&W memorabilia as well as car hop service. 

Wine aficionados know Lodi for its grape as well as more than 60 wineries, many with wine tasting rooms.

Music fans know Lodi by the song of the same name about a down-and-out musician that was written by John Fogerty and sung in 1969 by Credence Clearwater.

Fogerty said he never visited Lodi, but thought the city’s name was cool.

Cooling summer breezes after scathing day heat mixed with well-drained soil is also the reason grapes are the “cool thing” in Lodi for countless visitors.

It is why, in terms of tonnage, San Joaquin County is the largest winegrape growing county in the United States.

Earlier settlers didn’t give any thought to Lodi as it was originally named Mokelumne River after the river that forms much of today’s northern boundary of San Joaquin County.

Lodi is one of eight incorporated cities in San Joaquin County.

It is the fourth largest city in the county with 66,348 residents based on the 2020 census.

Thirty years ago, it was the second largest before Tracy and then Manteca passed it in size.

Farming, with a heavy emphasis on winegrapes, provides the bedrock economic foundation.

Most household jobs are in other sectors and many are elsewhere as Lodi has its share of commuters although not as large as the South County.

And out of county employment for Lodi residents is more likely to be tied to Sacramento than the Bay Area.

When 2028 rolls around, you will be able to board an ACE passenger train at the downtown Manteca station and travel to downtown Lodi.

Trains figure heavily into Mokelumne taking root and, after a name change, Lodi growing and prospering.

But first a quick look at when non-indigenous Americans settled Lodi.

Prior to 1846, the Miwoks as well as trappers taking advance of the rich wildlife that was found in the Mokelumne River, were the only humans in the area. They stayed a short time and moved on.

The first to settle what was to become known as Lodi did so near where explorer John C. Fremont crossed the river two years prior.

The Gold Rush spurred near another crossing northwest of present-day Lodi where Jeremiah Woods started a settlement to cater to those traveling to and from the mines. The settlement would later be called Woodbridge.

A year later, the initial cluster of  buildings that would eventually become Lodi popped up.

Lodi was part of the Elkhorn Township land of San Joaquin County. 

The name was inspired by elk antlers that littered the ground, left behind by massive herds of elks that once roamed the valley.

A successful effort took place to pass the westernmost portion of the transcontinental railroad through land east of Woodbridge.

As the town grew its name became a problem.

It was often confused with Mokelumne Hill as well as Mokelumne City, two other settlements further upstream on the river.

It was rechristened Lodi on March 21, 1874.

There are three different versions of how the name was chosen.

One was it was named after Lodi, Illinois where the local pioneer families of Morse and Elliott were originally from.

Another was that it was inspired by a racehorse of the same name that impressed a few of the locals.

The third was the inspiration came from the city of the same name in Italy where Napoleon and his army struggled to cross the Adda River.

Lodi was incorporated as a city in 1906.

One of the city’s most unusual features from a regional perspective and most enduring was the creating of Lodi Lake with direct access to the Mokelumne.

The city park that surrounds it is a popular destination and includes a swimming beach, the ability to kayak or paddle boat the water, explore,  nature area, or to enjoy a picnic, play or relax under massive there canopies lining the lake.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com