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10 Vintage Fruit Crate Labels That'd Make Anyone Move to SoCal

By Cat Vasko
April 16, 2014
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Everybody knows the story of California's first gold rush, but not everyone realizes that the state experienced a second -- and that time, the gold was literally growing on trees. By 1893, California's citrus industry was so successful that growers formed a cooperative (today, we know it as Sunkist Growers) to promote and sell their fruit. Marketing, of course, was critical, and fruit crate labels contributed by portraying the Golden State as a land of snow-capped mountains, sun-kissed valleys, and dramatic beaches. These images would make anyone want to move to SoCal, and plenty of people did. Today, L.A. is best known for entertainment and aeronautics, but make no mistake -- those thriving industries are living in the house that citrus built.

 

 

 

summit
Summit citrus. Image courtesy LAPL Fruit Crate Label Collection

 

 

 

avenue
Avenue citrus. Image courtesy LAPL Fruit Crate Label Collection

 

 

 

shamrock
Shamrock oranges. Image courtesy LAPL Fruit Crate Label Collection

 

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