Things you didn't know about Downey: Orange Crops

In the 1890s, Washington navel oranges were attracting considerable attention. J.J. Tweedy is credited with having planted the first grove. He was quickly followed by the Ball brothers and other orchardists. Grapefruit, along with an improved thin, smooth-skinned, juicy lemon were among the new introductions in citrus fruits. 

With new importations came various pests -- the San Jose scale and others, so fumigation was instituted in 1891. This was an expensive process. About this time, however, the government found a friend to the citrus grower in one variety of ladybird which fed upon the larvae of the scale. These were distributed free to the orchardists who needed them. 

Another problem came when laws against shipping oranges with scale made washing necessary. This had to be done by hand and was a long and tedious job. Charles Coffman of Rivera was appointed inspector of all groves in the Downey and Rivera districts. 

On Dec. 10-11, 1891, with a fine, almost mature orange crop on the trees, there came a great disaster to the growers. A combination wind and electrical storm, such as never been known here before, swept the county. It was called a “Santa Anna” and was of much greater intensity and range. Orange trees in many places were entirely denuded of leaves, the fruit was a total loss, and some doubt was expressed c concerning the recovery of the trees. 

Then, during the last days of the same month, extreme cold weather froze practically of the oranges of Southern California. San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties, which had suffered lightest during the wind, were now hit by the freeze. Crops were lost for two years. Unscrupulous men attempted shipping some of the frozen fruit and entirely demoralized the market. 

The citrus industry had suffered from many things -- unfair prices by middlemen, bugs, wind and frost -- but the people were not ready to give up. They banded themselves into an orange growers’ exchange, organized on May 9, 1893. T.L. Gooch of Rivera represented this district. Their aim was mutual benefit, economy in packing and shipping, and to make adjustments of supply and demand bringing about a fair price to the growers. 

The following information was supplied by J.K. Tweedy: 

“In 1895, Ball and Tweedy commenced parking their own fruit as well as that purchased throughout Los Nietos Valley. They used the old Southern Pacific Depot as their first packing plant. 

“In 1898, they moved to the old warehouse at the corner of First and Dolan Streets where they continued to pack citrus fruits until about 1904 when they built the packing house on the Southern Pacific track just west of the depot. In 1892, the old plant was sold to Pepperis Fruit Company who packed citrus fruit and vegetables for four or five years, at which time they sold or rented the building to Jones and Oberly, fumigators and sprayers. 

“The present $50,000 packing house was built during the spring of 1922. Its site purchased from Millicent Eberly, daughter of C.H. Eberly, former editor of the Downey Champion, had been the residence of the Eberly family for some time. 

“The original members of the Ball and Tweedy Company were: W.F. and A.L. Ball, J.J. Tweedy and some sons J.K. and N.A. Tweedy. The Ball and Tweedy Company is now operated as an association with approximately 70 members, all local orange growers. All of the citrus fruit packed by the association is marketed by the California Fruit Growers Exchange.”

Bobbi Bruce is a docent with the Downey Historical Society.