The Mother Orange Tree is the oldest living orange tree in

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

. The California Historical Landmark is located at 400 Glen Drive in Oroville, California.

History

Originally planted in

Bidwell's Bar Bidwell's Bar (also known as Bidwell Bar, and Bidwells Bar) was a gold mining camp in Butte County, California, United States, which lay at the end of the California Trail. It was located east-northeast of Oroville, at an elevation of 902 fee ...

near the Bidwell Bar Bridge, the tree is a Mediterranean sweet orange ''Citrus × sinensis'' cultivar. The citrus rootstock was brought from Mazatlán, Mexico, on a shipping vessel. The two-year-old orange tree, which was a novelty in Northern California at the time, was purchased in 1856 by Judge Joseph Lewis in the city of Sacramento and planted at the western approach to the bridge. The planting of the tree was done by Alfred Clarke, with the help of his foreman, Howard Burt. As the years passed and the tree flourished, growing to a height of over 60 feet (18 m), it was a favorite attraction of miners. They would sample its fruit and save seeds to plant in the dooryards of their cabins. On average, it yielded about 600 pounds (273 kg) of oranges that ripened between February and May each year.

Transplanting

The tree has been transplanted twice: once in 1862 to avoid flooding of the Feather River; and a second time in 1964 during the construction of Oroville Dam when it was moved to the California State Park Headquarters in Oroville. James Edward Huse, a crane operator with Bigge construction was chosen to move the Mother Orange in 1964 due to his ancestors’ involvement in transporting the tree originally. The tree's survival proved that the citrus industry could thrive in the colder climate of Northern California, encouraging many people to grow oranges in the area around Oroville, although the vast majority produced in the region are of the navel orange variety instead.

Recent events

In 1998, a severe

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

struck and the tree stopped bearing fruit for a number of years. As a result of the frost, decay fungus entered the trunk and hollowed it out. To ensure preservation of the tree, propagation experts at the University of California, Riverside successfully cloned the tree in 2003 and three clones were brought to Oroville for planting. The tree has since resumed fruit production. The California Historical Landmark

commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

for the bridge may be found near the tree.

References

*Ek, Richard
Old Mother Orange
''Chico News and Review'', May 1, 2003 {{citrus Oranges (fruit) Citrus Individual trees in California Agriculture in California History of California History of agriculture in the United States History of the American West Oroville, California History of Butte County, California Farm museums in California Tourist attractions in Butte County, California 1856 establishments in California

History

Transplanting

Recent events

See also

References