The Townsite Era - 1856-1876 - Page 4 |
Citrus Dominates!At first, people planted many kinds of fruits and vegetables here. You could see vineyards, apricot groves, peach trees, and many more. After Anson Van Leuven began to grow so many oranges, everyone started doing it. Pretty soon almost all the open ground in the valley was planted in oranges and other citrus. |
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Smudge PotsPeople could get work in the orange groves, in the packing sheds, or hauling the fruit around. In the winter you could get a job filling the "smudge pots" with oil and keeping them lit. Citrus fruit is ruined if it freezes. The smudge pots were not good for the environment. Lots of oil was spilled on the ground as people filled the tanks during the night. Big tanks near the packing sheds have leaked lots of oil into the ground. The air was black with smoke during "smudging" and people had trouble breathing. There was black soot on everything in the morning. |
 Smudge Pots made heavy black smoke that lay like a blanket over the orange trees. During freezing weather the orange growers protected their fruit from freezing by keeping the pots lit. Students and other people worked all night during freezing weather to make sure the pots didn't run out of fuel. |
Citrus Labels Became the Rage!These citrus labels made Bryn Mawr famous. People all over the country wanted the sweet oranges from our area. Redlands claimed Bryn Mawr, but it is now a part of Loma Linda. |
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City of Loma Linda |
City of Loma Linda |
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City of Loma Linda |
City of Loma Linda |
How Big Were Their Footprints? |
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