1940 Rambeau Pictorial Map of California and its Citrus Groves

This is a rare 1940 Cal Rambeau and California Fruit Growers Exchange pictorial map of California celebrating the citrus industry. The map embraces all of California, with a focus on the large citrus plantations around Los Angeles, San Diego, and in the Central Valley. It celebrates the remarkable achievement of Sunkist - taking a sensitive tropical fruit and through sophisticated packing and logistic systems, disseminating it throughout the United States such that it became a staple food - both economical and omnipresent.

A Closer Look

Groves of green trees appear in Central and Southern California, and orange, lemon, and grapefruit icons detail which fruit is grown in which grove. Information about lemons, two kinds of oranges, and grapefruit is included in the lower right corner. Sunkist's headquarters in Los Angeles is prominently illustrated. Apart from citrus groves and Sunkist's headquarters, redwoods, the Mariposa Big Trees, Mount Whitney, and Yosemite Valley are illustrated, and numerous cities are labeled. The Pan American Transpacific Clipper is depicted leaving San Francisco. A series of vignettes illustrating the orange growing process from budding to packing occupies the upper right and education on the remarkable process by which a Sunkist orange travels throughout the United States.

The California Fruit Growers Exchange

Today known as Sunkist Growers, the California Fruit Growers Exchange was founded in 1893 by P.J. Dreher, his son Edward L. Dreher (the 'father of the California citrus industry') and several other prominent citrus farmers. At first it exclusively represented orange growers, but lemon growers were added in 1896. By 1905, the exchange had 5,000 members controlling 45% of the California citrus industry. The organization became Sunkist Growers in 1952. Today, Sunkist Growers has 6,000 members across California and Arizona and is a non-stock cooperative. Sunkist is the largest fresh produce shipper in the United States, one of California's largest landowners, and the most diversified citrus processing and marketing operation in the world.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by Cal Rambeau and published by the California Fruit Growers Exchange in 1940. We note a single cataloged example in OCLC which is part of the collection at the University of Kansas. One other example has appeared on the private market in recent years, making this a rare piece of California's agricultural history.