Material in the public domain. No restrictions on use.
Description
Key Words: Citrus Ranching, Claremont History, Claremont Businesses, Packing Houses Summary: [Tape 1] Mr. Elder owned citrus groves in the Claremont area. He briefly recalls what it was like to grow up in Claremont. He remembers the citrus groves freezing in 1913 and flooding in 1937. He describes going to the movie theater and watching films without sound, but with an organ player who would accompany the film. He remembers bad years for “smudging,†– 1937, 1946, and 1958. He added that he believed that his daughter, Karen, was the only girl in Claremont to have a smudging permit. He also remembers having one of the first Model A's in Claremont. He describes how the Hindus helped clear off the land around Claremont. He comments that “I don't know what problems the Hindus had, all I know is that they got into some severe fights between themselves and were an unruly people;†he adds that the American Legion “took it upon themselves to put all the Hindus in a freight car and ship them off the area.†He describes the Filipinos as “good pickers of oranges.†His grandfather was a contractor who, along with Mr. Summers, helped build the Pomona YMCA and several buildings at Pomona College, and helped bring electricity to the Los Angeles area. He remembers some of the local businesses in Claremont including Owens, Orange Belt, J. P. Evans, Woolworths, St. Charles Grill, the Beverly Theater, Idylwild, and the U & I Cafeteria. He recalls working in the packing house (on Indian Hill Boulevard and Gary Avenue) as a fruit grader. He discusses the social scene in Claremont: most of the social gatherings came through the church, but the packing houses would also have annual dinners. He describes the way that the packing houses would store and sort the fruit before it was shipped to the sellers. [Tape 2] He describes the process of taking the fruit from the packing house to the wholesaler, and then to various retailers. He describes the how the pickers would pick the fruit from the trees. He recalls that some trees were up to forty feet tall, and that larger trees could produce up to twenty-two boxes of fruit every year.
Type
sound
Format
Master Audio cassette
Form/Genre
Oral histories
Extent
1 Tape of 1
Identifier
caclah_000005
Language
English
Subject
Agriculture--Crops--Fruit--Oranges Citrus fruit industry--California Citrus fruit industry--California--History Fruit Packing Local history
Time Period
%1900/
Place
Claremont (Calif.)
Provenance
Claremont Heritage California Revealed is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
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