Citrus Roots

Selling the Gold Citriculture to Citrus Culture

Citrus Roots...Our Legacy - Volume I

Selling the Gold - History of Sunkist and Pure Gold

The golden orange manifested the "California Dream" and became synonymous with the trade names of Sunkist and the lesser entity, Pure Gold. The "dream" induced the citrus gold rush which brought more people to California than the gold rush of "49". This is a composite story of one component to the citrus cycle - the cooperative marketing of the golden Sunkist fruit as told in the award-winning account by R.M. MacCurdy, the fifty years of Pure Gold written by V.A. Lockabey and excerpts from Sunkist Growers, Inc. all brought together by R.H. Barker through many pictures. The "Citrus Roots" series makes for fascinating reading...

By Richard H. Barker
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Citrus Roots…Our Legacy - Volume II

Citrus Roots...Our Legacy - Citriculture to Citrus Culture

The "planting of gold" brought about community development, generated more income than the gold rush, and endured for over 75 years. This is a story of people with strong-willed ideals, willing to take risks, which influenced the development of Southern California. The coverage focuses pictorially on the local components to the citrus cycle - citriculture to citrus culture - from Etiwanda to San Dimas and from Walnut to Ontario linking the life cycle of the citrus tree to the other cycles which influenced successive change to this valley in an interesting and enlightening way.

By Richard H. Barker
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Baldy View Entrepreneurs Citrus Powered the Economy of Orange County

Citrus Roots…Our Legacy - Volume III

Our Legacy…Baldy View Entrepreneurs

This book covers twenty-five men and women entrepreneurs who left an outstanding legacy to the communities within view of Mount Baldy and to Southern California. Included is a "time line" matching each of their individual lives to the business cycles from 1810 to 1978.

By M.A. Boyd and Richard H. Barker
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Orange trees

click HERE to view the
UCR Library display featuring "Selling the Gold"

Citrus Roots…Our Legacy - Volume IV

Citrus Powered the Economy of Orange County for over a half century Induced by "a Romance"

This is a compelling story about the romance with the orange. It generated a migration of those seeking a healthier and better lifestyle to California spurred by the Southern Pacific Company which in aggregate this movement emerged into an economic powerhouse. Citrus powered the economy of Orange County for well over a half century. The sequential story unfolds plus a mural of photos with “the place”, “the people, and the pride of participating in this aura.” It progresses from growing citrus, harvesting the golden fruit, packing and selling (covering 80 packinghouses and the names of many growers), icing and transporting about a million carloads, banking the “citrus gold” amounting to $1.2 billion (1923-1959), citrus linkage, the water companies and ending with citrus culture. The “citrus romance cycle” left many legacies which have and will enhance the lives of those living in Orange County for future generations. This illustrated story is enlightening on how it brings history alive, and into our present time.

By Richard H. Barker
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