Eliza Lovell Tibbets

Eliza Lovell Tibbets. , Eliza Tibbets embodied the spirit of her beliefs as an abolitionist, a suffragist and a pioneer of the California Citrus industry. Her pioneering life gave fruition to the most important plant introduction in the history of the United States. In 1877 Eliza transplanted two navel orange trees from Bahia, Brazil to her Riverside garden. Nourished by left over dishwater, Eliza's navel orange proved to be a pivotal event in the social and economic development of California. By 1897, Riverside was the wealthiest city per capita in the United States driving the national economy. Cities were born, their futures relying upon the navel orange. Like Johnny Appleseed, Eliza was a member of the Swedenborgan church. A sower of dreams, Eliza Tibbets worked with abolitionists, suffragists and others, including Frederick Douglass, opening the doors of opportunity, transforming the lives of millions. , Sower’s Dream , A woman sleeps in images , steeped in sepia tones , beneath concrete and , tract homes , , With eyes closed , weathered hands , two fledgling treees , in the desert sand , Through seaons , of care two trees , flowered there , the harvest , became a grove , , Orchards of dreams , for many it seemed , migration of leaves , colored in hope , , Silent shadows , in the goves , ascending laddres , with eyes closed , , Like dragonflies , in a jar their flight , was brief their hope , soared far , , For children , of their own , orange blossoms , sweet fragrance , becomes , their home , , Guy A. Wilson, 2011 ,