California Citrus State Historic Park is an

open-air museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphere� ...

in the

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

system of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States, interpreting the historic

cultural landscape Cultural landscape is a term used in the fields of geography, ecology, and heritage studies, to describe a symbiosis of human activity and environment. As defined by the World Heritage Committee, it is the "cultural properties hatrepresent the ...

of the

citrus industry Citrus production encompasses the production of citrus fruit, which are the highest-value fruit crop in terms of international trade. There are two main markets for citrus fruit: * The fresh fruit market * The processed citrus fruits market (m ...

. The park’s museum exhibits and interpretive features share the story of the citrus industry's role in the history and development of Southern California, and is told through the experiences of the diverse migrant and immigrant groups who made it all possible. The California Citrus State Historic Park is in the city of Riverside in

Riverside County, California Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Uni ...

, United States. The park was established in 1993. This

California State Historic Park List of California State Historic Parks — a division of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, for historic sites in California. List * Anderson Marsh State Historic Park * Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park * Ba ...

reveals the cultural, political, and environmental aspects of the time when "Citrus was King" in California, especially the

Navel orange An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus � ...

from Riverside, and recognizing the importance of the citrus industry in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

History

In 1873, Riverside resident

Eliza Tibbets Eliza Tibbets (born Eliza Maria Lovell; 1823–1898) was among early American settlers and founders of Riverside, California; she was an activist in Washington, D.C., for progressive social causes, including freedmen's rights and universal suffr ...

planted two orange trees from the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

. The success of these trees launched the orange industry in the area.

Open-air museum and visitor center

The design of the park is reminiscent of a 1900s city park, complete with an activity center, interpretive structure, amphitheater, picnic area, and demonstration groves of citrus tree orchards. The land contained within the park still continues to produce high-quality fruits. The park's visitor center houses a museum about California's citrus industry, and antique citrus grove farm equipment is on display around the park. In 2002

Huell Howser Huell Burnley Howser (October 18, 1945 – January 7, 2013) was an American television personality, actor, producer, writer, singer, and voice artist, best known for hosting, producing, and writing '' California's Gold'' and his human interest s ...

Productions, in association with

KCET KCET (channel 28) is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOCE ...

/Los Angeles, featured the park in ''California's Golden Parks''; the 28 minute program is available as a VHS videorecording.

References

External links

California Citrus State Historic Park
* {{authority control Agriculture museums in the United States American West museums in California California State Historic Parks Citrus Cultural landscapes Farm museums in California Food museums in the United States Historic districts in California Industry museums in California Museums in Riverside, California Open-air museums in California Parks in Riverside, California Protected areas established in 1993 1993 establishments in California

History

Open-air museum and visitor center

See also

References

External links