Anaheim in Orange County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Wind and Water
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Anaheim Agriculture
Photographed by Adam Margolis, October 4, 2014
1. Wind and Water / Anaheim Agriculture Marker
Wind and Water
Anaheim's early settlers put wind to work. Windmills rose above homestead rooflines poised to catch ocean breezes, shifting with the air currents, spinning gears effortlessly, and pumping water to the arid surface.
Often coupled with water tanks, windmills provided owners with a ready water reservoir allowing colony families to proper without electricity, steam power or gasoline engines.
With considerable ingenuity, windmill designers eased the labor of rural life and helped turn native coastline sage lands into farms and orchards.
caption:
The Strodthoff residence and ranch near the SW corner of today's Lemon & North Streets, 1886.
Anaheim Agriculture
In the 1870's, when blight sickened and killed acre after acre of grapevines, Anaheim's resourceful vintners looked for ways to replace their main product. For some, a local land boom in the 1880s offered a way to sell their land at a profit. Others, determined to continue farming, turned to walnuts, chili peppers, sugar beets, and most importantly, the late ripening Valencia orange - a perfect match for Anaheim's Mediterranean climate. By the 1930s local orange groves covering hundreds of square acres proved to be successful and Anaheim became known as "the Capital of the Valencia Orange Empire."
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this page online
Tinted postcards of Anaheim produce from the 1920s and 1930s.
(Below) Workers at Rimpau grove, 1899.
Erected by City of Anaheim.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Windmills series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1886.
Location. 33° 50.173′ N, 117° 55.664′ W. Marker is in Anaheim, California, in Orange County. It can be reached from the intersection of West Street and Pearl Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 400 N West St, Anaheim CA 92805, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles and in the Peninsular 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 Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Utopian Dream (within shouting distance of this marker); Outdoor Living (within shouting distance of this marker); Mother Colony House (within shouting distance of this marker); Architectural Sampler (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Mother Colony House (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Mother Colony House (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of San Pedro Gate (approx. Ό mile away); The Beck House (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anaheim.
Photographed by Adam Margolis, October 4, 2014
2. Wind and Water / Anaheim Agriculture Marker
Photographed by Adam Margolis, October 4, 2014
3. Wind and Water / Anaheim Agriculture Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 7, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. This page has been viewed 534 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 7, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
