The railroad changed the agriculture industry.

Before the railroad’s expansion into the western United States, agriculture was limited to local need. Transportation to the east was too slow for the delivery of perishable produce.

The direct connection of California to the rest of the country by rail brought a revolution in agricultural expansion.

How did they transport it?

Introduced in the late 1800s, refrigerated railcars kept food from going bad and allowed regional farmers to sell crops throughout the country.

Railroads cooled cars with ice from the frozen lakes of the Sierra and placed them into special cars. These “reefer” cars, as they were called, depended on a system of icing stations located throughout the country to replace ice before it melted. Railroads gave reefer cars priority over most other traffic to keep them running on-time.

By 1900, California shipped several boxcars of produce each hour. Canning, packing, and innovations in developing food machinery grew during this time. By 1910, California emerged as one of the world’s primary producers of grapes, citrus, and various seasonal fruits.

As these produce companies grew, their marketing changed. Companies designed detailed and beautiful labels for the crates in which they shipped fruits and vegetables.

Now it’s YOUR turn...Design your own fruit crate label or postcard that shows the amazing fruits and vegetables produced in California!

Farmers from California shipped fruits and vegetables throughout the country on the Fruit Growers Express refrigerated fruit car. They used labels on their fruit crates to advertise their products.

Imagine you are a farmer selling your favorite fruit or vegetable. What would your fruit crate label look like?

Use the coloring page of a label we designed, or if you prefer, use the blank outline that you can print and draw your own label idea.

or...

Make a Collage!

A collage is a piece of art made by sticking different materials like photographs, pieces of paper, or fabric on to a backing.

Collages allow you to use the bright colors and images you find and make them into something else.

Here's how you can make your own fruit crate label collage:

1. Gather supplies: newspapers, magazines, fabric, or images you find online make great parts for your collage.

2. Make sure you ask permission to use the items you need for this craft.

3. You will need glue and a piece of paper to stick your pictures on.

4. Before you glue, play with the pieces to be sure you have the design you want.

5. Does it look the way you want? Glue down your design.

Done! You created your very own produce label. Good job!