Early History
Greenfield, located in Monterey County, began as Clark Colony in April of 1905, created by a subdivision of 4,000 acres of valley bottomland by the California Home Extension Association, a branch of Rancho Arroyo Seco. A public drawing was held at their branch office in Los Angeles on April 5, 1905. The average price per acre was $37.50, including water rights. Persons purchasing 2.5 acres or more were entitled to first option on 1 or 2 town lots.
Water Distribution System
The organization of the water distribution system, the Clark Colony Water Company, was formed on April 7, 1905. The organization would be in charge of distributing water to the stockholders who paid the debt at the rate of $25 for each of the subdivision's acres. With a water canal system and good growing conditions, people of Danish, Swiss and other nationalities from surrounding areas settled in Greenfield. The Clark Colony settlers then constructed the largest irrigation and domestic water supply system in the Salinas Valley.
Today, the Clark Colony Water Company still holds 1916 Prior Rights guaranteeing delivery to its members a certain amount of water from the Arroyo Seco River before any other agencies' use of the river water.
School Buidling
On April 6, 1906, the district purchased a lot from Edward Greenfield for $33.75 along with two adjacent to the Arroyo Seco Development Company for $145.80. By 1906, local carpenters including R.D. Hall, Alfred Hansen and Al Leoni had completed a new school building on the property, located at El Camino Real and Walnut Avenue consisting of two classrooms with a library between them. Romie School District officially became Greenfield School District on July 1, 1909.