In 1929, the Santiago Orange Growers Association became the largest Valencia packing house in America, shipped over 820,000 crates that year. The photo above shows the interior of their packing house at 325 N. Cypress in Orange, in about 1948. Packers idenitified in the photo include (left to right) "Licha," Ruth Ortega, Carol Garcia, Georgia Garcia, Helen Poblano Castro, Jenny Ramirez, and Esther Poblano. The image below gives you a better look at the "Rooster Brand" label seen above.
Other Santiago Orange Growers Association brands included Cock of the Walk, Searchlight, Dreamflower, Mohawk, Sweetreat, and Planet. The photo below shows the packing house's exterior as it appeared in the 1930s.
Visit the Orange County Archives, the Old Courthouse Museum, and the Victorian Howe-Waffle House Museum (across the street), during their quarterly joint Open House event, on Saturday, April 3, 10am-4pm. The Archives will offer "behind the scenes" tours, but you'll also be able to spend the time doing research if you'd like. .
The Dana Point Historical Society and the City of Dana Point have published a local historical driving tour brochure. Copies are available at City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, local hotels, the Harbor, and the Ocean Institute. It's a great idea, and I hope other communities follow suit.
For the non-Mexican inclined, "Licha" is a nickname for Alicia.
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