Citrus Industry Ephemera

Some of my first Covina collectibles were orange box labels that I purchased around 1978 at Dick's Antiques next to the Covina Theatre. They were so new-looking at the time, though, that I assumed they were reproductions, but I now know they are all genuine—they only looked new because they were never used. What I didn't have until just this past week was a citrus label that had actually done service and been carefully removed from its box and preserved.

This PREFERRED label is said to date to c.1918. The PREFERRED that I bought almost 50 years ago (which lacks the Sunkist trademark) is from the 1930s.¹

The Covina Orange Growers Association was organized in 1899,² and was disestablished in 1953.³

Another recent acquisition is this stock certificate from the Covina Citrus Association, which was in operation from 1895-1955.^4,5 These are actually fairly common, but this particular specimen is in exceptionally nice condition, and is also signed by one of the early pillars of the Covina citrus industry, Herbert Elmanson Chesebro (1864-1951).^6,7

H. E. Chesebro first came to Covina in 1889,⁶ and at one point or other, he headed most of the important commercial associations in town: the Covina Citrus Association, the Covina Fruit Exchange and the Covina Irrigating Company being the most notable.⁶ For me, though, his primary significance lies in his ties to the 3,238-acre⁸ Hollenbeck Ranch in the Covina Hills, of which he was lessee and manager from 1889 until 1895,⁶ when that vast holding was subdivided by the McCarthy Company of San Francisco.⁹ I'm still in the process of constructing a timeline for the Hollenbeck Ranch, and will tell its whole story when I feel like I have enough substantiated facts assembled to do the subject justice.

In other completely unrelated news, I've been generally disappointed with the "Covina Past" Facebook page I started back at the end of March. Although it now has over 1,800 followers, it has basically failed in its intended purpose of attracting greater readership for my blog. My history posts there consistently "bomb," and the only subjects that seem to drive engagement are nostalgic in nature, specifically for Covina in the post-war period. Not that there's anything wrong with nostalgia, per se, it's just not what I had in mind for the page at all. More than anything, though, it's proven to be a time and energy diversion away from my more important work here. So I'm feeling less and less inclined to continue with it. Ah, well. The best laid plans, etc. etc.

References:

¹ eBay seller cratelabels.
² Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, August 25, 1899, p.4.
³ Pomona Progress-Bulletin, July 17, 1953, p.6.
⁴ Los Angeles Times, October 5, 1895, p.8.
⁵ Los Angeles Times, October 9, 1955, p.166.
⁶ Guinn, J. M. 1901. Historical and Biographical Record of Los Angeles and Vicinity: Herbert E. Chesebro. Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, 940pp.
⁷ Herbert Elmanson Chesebro at FamilySearch.org
⁸ Los Angeles Herald, October 8, 1889, p.7.
⁹ San Francisco Chronicle, March 15, 1895, p.9.