Sunnyvale in Santa Clara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Prune Heaven

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 17, 2020

1. Prune Heaven Marker

Inscription. Mexicans and "Okies” picked fruit in the valley's orchards through the 1930s, often "camping out” in whatever orchard they were working. Displaced Oklahomans usually traveled individually from farm to farm calling out, "Do you need an extra hand?” The common wage in the 1930s ranged from $.20 to $.35 per hour or $2.00 to $3.50 for a 10-hour day.

Mexicans would often be hired in groups through a labor foreman. When World War II began, the Bracero Program formalized the migration of Mexican farm workers to California fields.

Starting at the age eight, and for the next ten years of my youth, I was always "invited" to join the family "camping trip" to what we kiddingly referred to as "Prune Heaven." ...the work was a combination of pure misery, dirt, painful backs, aching knees, sunburned hands and necks...
-Rudy Calles, one-time migrant worker, 1979.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1979.

Location. 37° 21.378′ N, 122° 1.496′ W. Marker is in Sunnyvale, California,

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in Santa Clara County. It can be reached from East Remington Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 570 East Remington Drive, Sunnyvale CA 94087, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area,

in Silicon Valley,

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Labor Day Prunes (here, next to this marker); Prune Capital of the World (here, next to this marker); Yugoslavian Orchardists of Sunnyvale (here, next to this marker); Heritage Park Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); Pippin Clay Glazed Tiles (within shouting distance of this marker); Vintage Sundial (within shouting distance of this marker); Antique Entry Gate (within shouting distance of this marker); Prune Steamer Pot/Hendy Manhole Cover

Prune Heaven Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 17, 2020

2. Prune Heaven Marker - wide view

(within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sunnyvale.

More about this marker. The marker is located outdoors under the roof of the orchard interpretive exhibit that is just to the south of the museum.

Marker detail: <i>Mexican family of prune pickers on the Garrod Ranch, Cupertino, date unknown</i> image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of the California History Center at DeAnza College, August 17, 2020

3. Marker detail: Mexican family of prune pickers on the Garrod Ranch, Cupertino, date unknown

Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 309 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 27, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.