Oregon Bounty: By Crate or Can - Salem, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 44° 56.632 W 123° 03.013
10T E 496038 N 4976715
Agriculture-related Historical marker in West Salem on Edgewater Street
Waymark Code: WMKRHT
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 05/22/2014
Views: 1
This historical marker is one of several in a series found in downtown Salem and in West Salem's Edgewater District. This marker is located on Edgewater Street just west of Wallace Road. The marker text reads:
OREGON BOUNTY:
BY CRATE OR CAN
The rolling hills of West Salem were ideal for orchards growing cherries, peaches, pears, apples and plums. Nearby fields of wheat, hops, berries and row crops covered most of Polk County. This bounty of fruits and vegetables provided both sustenance and employment to those who lived in Salem. Canneries, packing houses, warehouses and the services that supported these food processing facilities soon became the economic engine for growth on Salem's west side. By the 1920s and 30s, names like Pacific Canning & Packing, Oregon Fruit Products Co. and Blue Lake Producers Co-Op were operating in this area and shipping their products across the USA. During World War II, Blue Lake Producers was authorized to supply the armed forces with canned and dried fruits and vegetables. This lead to a period of industry growth and modernization. By the 1950s, Salem was one of the world's leaders in fruit and vegetable canning.
Photo Captions:
Above: Blue Lake Producers Co-Op was located on Patterson Street near Third Street, shown here in 1938.
Above and below: Labels from Oregon Fruit Products Co.'s colorful history of fruit packing and canning. Oregon Fruit Products Co. still operates today in West Salem.
Lou Costello, of the famous Abbott & Costello comedy duo, jokes around with broker Paul Colwell in a 1952 publicity shot for Blue Lake Producers' well known brand, "Jack & the Bean Stalk" green beans.
Click a photo to enlarge
On the backside of this marker is a 
"You are Here" map, designed to orient pedestrians to Salem's nearby points of interest.
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