Welcome to Dunton Family Farms
Since 1909

After nearly 25 years since founding the Victory Seed Company and building the Victory Seeds^® brand into an important part of thousands of people's annual gardens, Denise and Mike began the process of transferring the ownership and operation of the Victory Seed Company to their family friends, the Whitinger family.

Like the Dunton family was in the late 20th century, the Whitingers are a young, large, homeschooling family. With many years experience farming, gardening and associated with the gardening industry, they are well-suited to take over and build upon the Dunton's legacy.

Denise and Mike will continue supporting the preservation work in the background for years to come, and look forward to seeing the Whitingers grow the business into a household name.

Because everyone's public activities were so restricted, including long periods of quarantine, gardening became a hugely popular pastime.

Thank you for your support and patience during that crazy time.

Long-term planning is also underway to create a non-profit organization whose charter will be to educate gardeners about horticultural history, sustainable practices including organic gardening methods and seed-saving. This organization will incorporate our seed bank and variety preservation efforts.

It was an awesome trip. We made many, many friends, saved rare family heirlooms from disappearing, reintroduced old commercial varieties that disappeared over the decades, and from word-of-mouth recommendations, grown considerably.

Our measure of growth was never based on financial gain, but on the number of varieties saved and the number of gardens our seeds are planted in. Using this measure, we feel successful and greatly blessed.

It was determined, however, that we would not be able to compete for business, either mail-order or web-based, without the ability of accepting electronic payments.

Two portable computers and a slow dialup connection were used. Word of mouth was the main form of advertising.

At this point in time, the online catalog was static and orders had to be placed using checks or money orders using the postal system.

The name Mike chose, the Victory Seed Company, originated from a couple of reference points.

With the end of World War II and the Victory Garden campaigns terminated, farming began to quickly evolve into the industrialized business that it is today. Victory Gardening was perhaps the final period in over 10,000 years of the agricultural history of mankind, where vast numbers of people were part of their own food production cycle. Although the trend for the demise of the family farm began earlier in the 20th century, this Victory Garden era clearly ended of our agrarian society.

The name is also in homage to Mike's great-grandparents, Victor Hugo Dunton, (whose mother was well read and fancied the work of the author, Victor Hugo) and his wife, Eda Vick Dunton. They are who built the house and started this multi-generational family farm.

Mike, in spite of having lived the early part of his life in the "suburbs," made it known that he wanted to live on "the" farm someday.

Growing up, Mike gardened with his mother, both sets of grandparents, and his great-grandfather which fueled a lifelong passion for seed-saving, raising produce, medicinal and culinary herbs, and all things "homesteading."

John Lewis Dunton, Sr. took over ownership of the farm after his mother (Eda) passed away in 1944. The young family moved into the V. H. Dunton house. He continued working with the postal service, farming the home place and also doing custom farming work (combining, haying, etc.).

John and Marjorie marry in 1939. They purchase the property at what is now the intersection of Molalla Avenue spur and State Highway 213.

The house that they lived in until 1944 is no longer standing but two old Bartlett Pear trees, and many spring daffodils, mark the spot.

V. H. Dunton Home
Liberal, Oregon
Circa 1935

After his father's passing, John Dunton helped his mother manage the family's farm.

Tragically, a few weeks after this photograph was taken, Victor was killed while performing duties as a Special Deputy Game Warden at the Willamette Falls in Oregon City on May 6, 1934.

Foul play at the hands of two poachers was suspected and rumors circulated but it was officially ruled accidental. Although he use a wallet that was chained to his belt and carried his revolver in a secured holster, both were missing and neither was ever recovered.

John graduated from Molalla High in 1930 and started working as a substitute mail carrier.

We hope to petition for "Century Farm" status in 2025!

This is the tradition that our family continues but on a larger scale and over a much greater geographical area.

Liberal, Oregon Baseball
circa 1910

At least two years prior, Victor began building our house on the 15 acres his father sectioned off for him when he "came of age."

While replacing layers of old wallpaper in the living room in 1990, a postcard with a 1907 cancellation was found under the first layer.

This is the same school John Dunton attended. Mike's father attended the Liberal School until it was closed in 1950 in the middle of his 5th grade year and students were transferred to the Molalla Primary School. The building was sold and served as a private residence for many years until it was torn down in about 2000.