Copyright UC Davis Division of Buildings & Grounds
Wolfskill Experimental Orchard is a university-owned orchard on Wolfskill Ranch, near Winters. The olive trees that grow there are a source for UC Davis Olive Oil1. The "Wolfskill" after whom the Orchard is named was John Reid Wolfskill. He was a younger brother of William Wolfskill (who was one of the early settlers in the Los Angeles area) — each settled in California while it was still part of Mexico. The Westwood land had been owned by John W. Wolfskill, a nephew of William & John (eldest son of Mathus, a younger brother of William & John). Mathus and his family left for California in May 1850, when John W. Wolfskill was 13.
The 108 acres of land that originally made up the orchard were donated by John's daughter, Frances Wolfskill Wilson, in 1934. She donated another 28 acres in 1953. Yet another 20 acres of adjacent land were donated by Masson Land Enterprises in 1985.
"Wolfskill" is the name of one of the varieties of the olive oil produced by the UC Davis Grounds Division.
Wolfskill Ranch was also once the name of the land now occupied by UCLA and Westwood2.
Joe R. Wolfskill was an early settler in the region.
Pictures
Don't you wish that you could wake up to tons of fruit trees every morning? 
2008-03-20 14:04:18 I went here on class field trip with POM 10 in winter 06. They had a ton of different trees (not just olives), and some of them were pretty interesting hybrids that you won't find anywhere else. At the time, all that was ripe was citrus, so that's all I got to pick. I think they used to have an open house every fall when the public could come and pick other things that were ripe. I don't know if that still takes place. —RyanCoates
2011-01-21 18:03:34 I WORK HERE and it's awesome. I'll update shortly with what is here, at least on the NCGR side (because it's split between the USDA-ARS NCGR and the UCD pomology department. —ChristyMarsden
2011-02-05 09:20:54 The "Wolfskill" after whom the Orchard is named was John Reid Wolfskill. He was a younger brother of William Wolfskill (who was one of the early settlers in the Los Angeles area) — each settled in California while it was still part of Mexico. The Westwood land had been owned by John W. Wolfskill, a nephew of William & John (eldest son of Mathus, a younger brother of William & John). Mathus and his family left for California in May 1850, when John W. Wolfskill was 13. If folks are interested in more details, please contact me off-line. —DavidWolfskill
Footnotes
1. http://www.sacbee.com/agriculture/story/405321.html
2. http://www.uclahistoryproject.ucla.edu/BruinStories/Home.asp
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