Michael Bryte (June 25, 1828 – February 3, 1887) was a California pioneer and dairy farmer.
Bryte was born in Clear Creek Township, Ashland County, Ohio in 1828.
[1] He moved to California in 1849[2] or 1850[3] to find gold but eventually started working for a dairyman named Schaadt, and in 1855 married his daughter Elizabeth.
[3] He purchased Schaadt's dairy in 1853 and renamed it Ashland Dairy, which proved to be a successful endeavor in part due to Bryte using California Steam Navigation Company steamships to transport products to other regional markets.
[4] In 1910,[5] Bryte's son George would sell the family dairy farm, and it would be turned into the community of Riverbank, now known as Bryte, California, named after the family.