A Bountiful Place to Live

A Bountiful Place to Live. Recollections of Gardens Past. , As a reminder of their homelands, people brought familiar plants to Columbia during the gold rush and in the years that followed. The plants were used to establish family gardens and orchards, providing seasonal vegetables and fruits, and welcome shelter during the heat of summer., Historic varieties of fruit and nut trees from those early years may still be seen in the park. They include olives, figs, grapes, apples, pears, and plums. Most of the common vegetables of today were grown here in the past. Other trees such as elm, catalpa, tree-of-heaven, and black locust serve as reminders of Columbia’s diverse past residents.