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10 Fruit Crate Labels That Make SoCal Look Like Heaven

By Cat Vasko
April 4, 2014
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California's agricultural roots run deep, especially when it comes to citrus. Spanish missionaries settling the state in the 1700s cultivated oranges and lemons, and their popularity boomed during the Gold Rush, during which time they were coveted for their scurvy-preventing properties. When the transcontinental railroad reached the state in 1877, California began exporting its citrus in crates adorned with bright, colorful labels, many of which portrayed SoCal as a paradise of yellow sun, green fields, blue waves, and Mission Revival architecture. If I pulled a crate like this off a railroad car, I'd take one look at it before jumping aboard to head west myself.

 

 

oxnard
Oxnard lemons. Image courtesy LAPL Fruit Crate Label Collection

 

 

wayno
Wayno citrus. Image courtesy LAPL Fruit Crate Label Collection

 

idyllwild
Idyllwild oranges. Image courtesy LAPL Fruit Crate Label Collection

 

 

 

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