The images above come from the April 1937 issue of Popular Mechanics. The accompanying article reads, "Constant breaking of trees and bruising of fruit by trucks hauling fruit through the groves has been ended by California citrus growers. On the recommendation of automotive engineers they now use a long slender truck which rolls through the grove without causing damage.".
Doug McInstosh, who submitted this item, writes, "If you look closely on the citrus truck door, the letter reads 'Tustin Hills Citrus Association.'"
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Also note that the truck is not a flatbed. That isn't a big trailer on the back -- It's a perfect stack of field boxes -- full of fruit.
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There's another 1930s photo of the truck (along with the rest of the fleet) on James Lancaster's "Historic Packing Houses and Other Industrial Structures in Southern California: Virtual Tour of Orange County" website.
Tustin Hills Citrus Association was a growers cooperative, organized in 1909. They had a packing house in Tustin, between Holt and Newport Ave. near Irvine Blvd. They later joined the Southern California Fruit Exchange, which eventually became Sunkist.
The aerial photo below comes from the Tustin Area Historical Society, and shows the Tustin Hills packing house around 1950.
This was very interesting; I didn't know anything about Tustin Hills Citrus Association. Thanks for posting! Great images too. - Daralee
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