Hurst Ranch

Hurst Ranch. . The Hurst family, including Josiah Newell, his wife Anna Belle, and their three children, Allie, Harriet Maude, and Charles Josiah, moved from Dover, Ohio to Whittier, California in 1898. In 1906, the family purchased 50 acres on the corner of Orange and Merced in West Covina. Soon, a barn, engine house, pump house, and home were built. This became the Hurst Ranch headquarters where the children eventually carried on and expanded the operation from the mid 1930s to the late 1950s. The primary crop was walnuts from 1919-1929 for the Blue Diamond Label. From 1930 to 1950 oranges were grown for the Sunkist Label. Over the years, truck crops were added, including potatoes, beans, cucumbers, onions, cabbages, cauliflower, and carrots. The Hurst Ranch grew to about 70 acres planted in oranges and 70 acres planted in seasonally rotated crops. During the 1950s, the Hurst family moved the farming operation to the San Joaquin Valley and with a bit of sadness, developed the West Covina property. Those early 1906 roots in West Covina were planted deep within the family and after 100 years are still growing strong today. With the formation of this museum, the Hurst family hopes to preserve a small yet special part of rural history for others to enjoy.