Citrus Heritage and Riverside
The impact of the citrus industry and the agricultural prominence of California as a whole is a well-documented and integrated history. Its truth lies within hundreds of years of agricultural practices of indigenous peoples and truly became an industrial and recognizable geist as American, Mexican, and Russian settlers moved into the lands in the post-1700s. One could find moments of cultural intermixing, whether it’s the Asian, Black and Hispanic immigrants, cultural exchange working in agricultural fields, or the late Dust Bowl migration of restless Okies moving to California in search of pay, homesteads, and work within California’s agricultural gold… the citrus industry.
The story of the Inland Empire’s agricultural prominence is one that enriches its community, tells a story of development, culture, advancement, and growth. It shows hardship and conveys the global significance of not only the Inland Empire but Riverside in particular. Through the collection of the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum, this story lives, breathes, and remains a fragmented, tangential truth of the relationship between Riverside and Citrus.
The linear story of Frank Miller and his famous courtyard orange tree is one that’s familiar to some, maybe known by a few, but is truly only a glimpse into the past for most. It tells part of the story—the story of the Tibbetts family planting the Washington navel, which opened the door for others to plant this “unique” citrus, with its firm skin, seedless core, and wonderful taste. Though Miller’s planting of the tree in the early 1900s doesn’t encapsulate the full story, it is a story that lies through the boxes and collections of the Mission Inn Foundation.
The Mission Inn Museum and Frank Miller’s collection houses complex, unique varieties of multiple histories, documents, and backgrounds. To highlight the story from 1870 through the 1950s—a story of the citrus boom here in the Inland Empire. Its rise from smaller agricultural ranches into large corporate groves, groves that would be bought by international investors who would develop the land, and then sell such land to residential development agencies.
These actions of both smaller homesteads, ranches, and corporate groves led Riverside into its post-war development in the 1950s and 1960s. It simultaneously correlates to the development and expansion of the Mission Inn in years prior, reflecting Miller’s efforts to reconfigure the geographical layout of the City of Riverside proper.
This story is told through the lineage of the Miller family, through its connection to the Clark Cullen Ranch. A ranch whose ledger sheets not only show the produce and profits of the Washington navels but also the Valencias and other produce like walnuts. Through the analysis of boxes and artifacts, it becomes apparent that the relationship between smaller homesteads and properties, along with the care to transfer ownership of these ranches through deeds and legal proceedings, solidifies the familial connection of citrus farming and ranching to the development of the region as a whole. The Clark Cullen collection contains deeds and purchases of lands throughout San Bernardino, extending into the jurisdiction of Riverside.
The collection catalogues the transferring of bills of the ranch, the appropriate inheritance, and the transfer of profits and lands to its descendants. It emphasizes the importance of owning such trees, highlighting that ownership entails not only land but also contributions to the agricultural industry. The collection also highlights the citrus industry as a larger agro-industrial complex, showcasing the variety of brands, packing houses, and canneries through crate labels, photographs, and physical ephemera. Such ephemera includes a citrus furnace, whose condition has seen better days, various mock citrus bags, and citrus sizers, which would have been used during cultivation. A piece of unique ephemera is the trophy from the 1930 National Orange Show, which will be mentioned later in this summation.
The Clark Cullen documents show the significance of the families who settled the lands and cultivated the produce to fuel the community as a whole. The significance within the Mission Inn Foundation collection highlights the relationship of the Millers and Clark Cullen families through marriage. It reaffirms why, not only through the Millers’ ownership of citrus at the Glenwood Tavern, but also through the unity of Mr. Miller and Mrs.Miller. The detailed genealogical record compiled by Mrs. Miller traces the significance of the family through Wisconsin and Minnesota, back to the first settlers of the colonial endeavors on the East Coast. It roots the agricultural importance within the family, one that would ultimately lead Miller to place one of the parent navel plants in the middle of his treasure at the Mission Inn.
Similarly, as groves expanded within the early 1900s, so did Miller’s efforts to develop his hotel and the city. On example could be of Mr. miller’s promegation of an experimental farm for the city. Or a legal dispute between the Riverside Water Authority and a construction company highlights such attempts. Miller’s disputes with these entities reveal the grading of roads toward Mt. Rubidoux and the need for water for infrastructure, with the water authority’s prices and suggestions leading into a larger narrative of the total expansion of Riverside. Specifically, the water company’s correspondence suggested Miller find his need for water along the Gage Canal. The canal itself has a unique correlation to citrus, along with an eyebrow-raising history of international ownership, where English investors owned and operated groves along the canal for a period. These groves would be sold off to residential developers in the late 1950s, leading to developed neighborhoods like Arlington Heights and housing along Victoria Street.
The physical trophy of the 1930 Orange Show, won by the L.V.W. Brown Estate from Highgrove, amplifies the story within the archive and the greater implications of citrus on the region. The Orange Show was modified from an off-track betting center for racing, and by 1899, its inception as a showcase and area to sell orange produce spawned its true significance to the region. Just as other regions saw presidentialization, the Orange Show in San Bernardino grew as an important cultural center for the area. While the prominence of its citrus may have subsided, the event center is visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year, from all walks of life and backgrounds. The relevance of youth movements and music permanently places the Orange Show’s importance, with Insomniac events bringing together many individuals who may never have crossed paths with the long-term effects of the citrus industry as a whole.
Returning to the L.V.W. estate, the Orange Show’s history highlights his efforts as being among the first to bring the navel orange to the region. Included below is an excerpt from the Orange Show’s website history highlighting the efforts of Anson Van Leuven.
“Anson Van Leuven brought the first orange trees, six in number, to San Bernardino Valley from San Gabriel Valley in 1857. In 1869, Lewis F. Cram was given the opportunity to buy 500 trees, but opted to purchase only enough rootstock to plant 1 ¾ acres. By 1887, he showed a net profit of $1,757 on this meager planting, over $1,100 net per acre–a good fortune in those days. In 1873, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent California’s two original orange trees to Eliza Tibbets. The tree’s seemingly endless oranges won awards at major expositions for their superior quality and taste. Ms. Tibbets soon had a booming business selling buds from her celebrated stock. By 1910, one year before the National Orange Show began, at least 100,000 acres in California were planted with the progeny of her trees and California navel orange sales had reached $200 million”
The trophy from the 1930 Orange Show has found its way into our collection, and it demonstratively highlights the significance of the orange crop throughout the period from the 1870s to the 1950s. The trophy’s physical and extraphysical connection serves as a way to draw back the veil on the fruit and reveal the localized importance of cultivation to the region.
Through the narrative that exists and breathes within these artifacts and documents within the Missions Inn’s. collection a rudimentary history of connecting community development, land transfer, and construction. To understand how the Mission Inn became a unique “European castle” in the middle of Southern California, one must connect the lineage of its wonders to the agro-industrial industry that populated and developed the surrounding region. During my time under the grant, I have been able to piece together this story, attempting to correlate events, non-events, existents, and ideas into a craftable narrative that starts within the Mission Inn Collection.
By examining the development of the Mission Inn Hotel alongside the development of the citrus industry as a whole provides how the two are inextricably intertwined; one could not have fostered without the other. Thus, this story remains relevant through deeds, photographs, and legal correspondence, just as much as it is about physical ephemera or clearly citrus-related items. The story of this collection is as much a microhistory connecting the Glenwood Tavern and Millers to the Clark Cullens, as it is to the Mission Inn and the Riverside/Inland Empire as a who
What does it mean to be an archivist? Archival theory revolves around the principles and practices of managing, preserving, and making accessible historical records. My experience in archival practice has largely been shaped by internships and work experience, including my time with collections tied to the Mission Inn.
My journey in the field began at the University of La Verne, where I worked as an intern at the Wilson Library. It was here that I had the privilege of collaborating with Dr. Benjamin Jenkins, who fostered my curiosity and theoretical understanding of archiving. From Dr. Jenkins, I learned essential skills, such as digitization techniques, the importance of proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) when handling materials. From there I spent time in thth M.A program at California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo, with a dual focus on the Modern Middle East (Imperialism/Colonialism), and Intellectual History, which is the study of how we know what we know.
The collection I worked with was in a state of flux. A large number of artifacts and archival documents had to be moved from the basement and hallways of the Mission Inn to larger, more spacious locations for better preservation. Much of the digitization work from the Mission Inn and its collection was part of a broader project aimed at better organizing and preserving these materials.
One key lesson in archiving a vast and diverse collection is understanding the concept of enduring value. This refers to the lasting significance of an archival piece—its connection to both the mission of the archive and its broader historical, social, and community impact.
The collection I worked with was diverse, containing dolls, statues, weapons, photographs, and other valuable historical materials. Many items came from donations made in the mid-to-late 19th century, but a significant portion of the collection stemmed from the travels and acquisitions of Frank Miller, a key figure in the Mission Inn’s history.
As I focused on the Citrus Collection, it became clear that it represented a unique and invaluable piece of Riverside’s history. The citrus industry, often seen as a driving force behind local innovation and cultural development, directly influenced the growth of the Mission Inn and Riverside as a whole. Without the citrus boom, Riverside—and even the Mission Inn—might not have become what they are today. The Mission Inn has hosted a variety of influential people, including presidents, dignitaries, celebrities, and local community members, such as young couples looking to renew their wedding vows in its iconic halls.
Within my own interpersonal studies and focuses comes the idea of consciousness—that being the representative idea, thought, feelings, and manifestations of reality that culminate into experience. Within the research and understanding of the history of the collection, it becomes clear that there is an inextricable link between the consciousness of the people and the consciousness of the environmental world, as they are tethered and lead into an agro-industrial capitalist mode of production. Meaning that there is an inextricable link between the citrus industry and the reflection of the people of Riverside, as they are interlocked with the growth of the community and consciousness. Conceptually, Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Community resided within the formation of the ethos of Riverside. The navel orange becomes as symbolically representative to the Riversider as the Mission Inn.
This viewership of my work in the collection has braided and expanded my own interpretations and thoughts on the history of subject or attempts at an archaeology of history within the lenses of a subjuctless history. The idea of this collection and its vast and unique holdings, as well as its mysterious allure, opens the gate to seeing the collection as a door into the inanimate that animates a totality of consciousness. The collection becomes a subjuctless forum to analyze the passage of time, character of people, and feelings of experience for those in Riverside and all that the Mission Inn came in contact with. The dynamic relationship between the inside and outside of understandings blends the collection of the Inn and its legacy as something uniquely dynamic—relics and testimonies of history that remain hidden but whose power dynamically presides in Riverside’s people, history, and legacy.
Through the process of archiving and understanding the Citrus Collection, I gained a deeper appreciation for the lasting impact of citrus on Riverside’s community and economy. The collection’s enduring value isn’t just tied to its physical artifacts but also to the cultural and historical legacy it represents. This work gave me the opportunity to document an evolving narrative—one that speaks to the importance of citrus, the Mission Inn, and Riverside in shaping both local and international communities.
– Arman Agahi
