[1][2][3][4] Martin Theodore Kearney established his Fruit Vale Estate agricultural colony in 1889, allowing middle-class to purchase ten and twenty-acre lots and to start farming without the large financial outlay otherwise necessary.

Many parts of the colony were cooperatively shared, such as fencing and irrigation, as well as an area in the middle of the estate which served as Kearney's residence and as a center for the community, a sort of ranch town or headquarters.

The University decided against establishing a college there and began selling off parcels while allowing it to continue operating as a working ranch and vineyard.

[4] It displays an exterior which includes high-pitched roofs, large arches made of lathe-cut wood and sharp gabled dormer windows that suggested towers.

The park has hosted civil war reenactments and Renaissance fairs as well as the annual "Hard Pan Classic" disc golf tournament.