The Forgotten Fruitway: Folk Perspectives on Fruit Farming on the Providence Bench, 1940-1980
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Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 5-2014 The Forgotten Fruitway: Folk Perspectives on Fruit Farming on the Providence Bench, 1940-1980 Amy C. Maxwell Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Recommended Citation Maxwell, Amy C., "The Forgotten Fruitway: Folk Perspectives on Fruit Farming on the Providence Bench, 1940-1980" (2014). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 3301. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/3301 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE FORGOTTEN FRUITWAY: FOLK PERSPECTIVES ON FRUIT FARMING ON THE PROVIDENCE BENCH, 1940-1980 by Amy C. Maxwell A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in American Studies Approved: _________________ __________________ Steve Siporin Lisa Gabbert Major Professor Committee Member _________________ __________________ Bradford Cole Mark McLellan Committee Member Vice President for Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2014 ii Copyright © Amy C. Maxwell 2014 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT The Forgotten Fruitway: Folk Perspectives on Fruit Farming on the Providence Bench, 1940-1980 by Amy C. Maxwell, Master of Arts Utah State University, 2014 Major Professor: Dr. Steve Siporin Department: English At one time, Providence, Utah, was well-known for its fruit production, especially on the north and south benches, but changes in population growth patterns, technology, and local economy have dramatically reduced reliance on agriculture and have completely eliminated fruit farming on the benches. In order to capture a slice of Providence history which is quickly disappearing from public memory, this thesis relies on a series of interviews I conducted with former workers on the fruit farms in the Providence bench area. Through their memories of their work and childhoods, I set out a folk history which focuses on family and worker relationships, gender roles, and work techniques. Throughout the entire body of work, I pull from a variety of genres and themes within the field of folklore to answer my research question of what fruit farming entailed and the importance it played in the lives of the farmers, their families, the workers, and the community. iv I begin with sections of historical ethnography in order to transport the reader into a time past and to convey the nature of these farmers’ and workers’ lives and occupations. The voices of my informants have a large role in shaping the history through their commentaries and personal narratives about this period. I continue with further textual analysis of the informants’ personal narratives about work and childhood, using theories of children’s folklore and oral narrative to discuss trickster tales and their role in my informants’ lives and their life histories. This analysis further focuses on power relationships and gender roles, while acting as a collection of occupational and children’s folklore as revealed through my informants’ interviews. I also draw on psychoanalytic interpretations of gender roles within work. I also discuss teenage relationships, flirting, and jokes about sexuality during this time period through this theoretical lens. My analysis concludes where it started: with the stories and their nostalgic themes, drawing the body of this thesis back to a discussion of life, land, and family and the nature of the stories told about these themes now. Throughout, this folk history relies on the present to understand the past, and by way of the nostalgic quality of all of the stories told by my informants, the past defines the present. (219 pages) v PUBLIC ABSTRACT The Forgotten Fruitway: Folk Perspectives on Fruit Farming on the Providence Bench, 1940-1980 Amy C. Maxwell As a whole, Cache Valley, Utah, residents have experienced dramatic changes in population size and economy over the last century. Providence, Utah, was once characterized by the farmers that worked the land surrounding it. The importance of agriculture has especially declined due to expanding urbanization. Despite these changes, Providence residents are aware of and celebrate their history. The purpose of this thesis is to add to the official account of local history. I attempt to capture a segment of the agricultural economy that often goes uncelebrated in current histories—fruit farming. Alongside the oft-cited sugar beet and pea production was a rich, small-fruit-and-berry economy, at one time a large part of Providence’s identity as an agricultural community. The main body of my research relied on interviews with farmers’ children and those who once worked for them as adolescents and teenagers. Although the scope of this project was not large enough to include interviews with all of the farmers on the bench, the hope is that the conglomeration of the stories from this select group will be true to the experiences and community that once existed up on the bench, and that the results can be enjoyed by future Providence residents as the current generation passes on. This work is also applicable to and intended for those interested in the agricultural traditions of the past, which have declined across Cache Valley, Utah, and the nation. vi DEDICATION I dedicate this project to my parents, Harry and Patti, who always encouraged me to aim higher and keep learning, while inspiring me with their own creativity and curiosity. They passed on the heritage of education and hard work given to them by their parents and grandparents. Also to my grandparents, Eddie and Win Peterson, who continue to be two of my biggest fans and hugely supported me throughout my education. Finally to my husband, Jeff, who gives me a reason to work and live. vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to first thank Dr. Steve Siporin for his unfailing encouragement of and enthusiasm for my project. His insistence that I take my time and do my best work led to a product that I feel proud of. Also, thank you to Brad Cole and Lisa Gabbert for their direction, advice, and input, which shaped and completed this project. Many thanks to Robert Parsons for his help navigating the Fife Folklore Archives and introducing me to Providence’s history and people. This project would never have gotten off the ground the way I had hoped without Jacob Thomas and his mother, Janalee. Thank you for speaking up when I asked my classmates if they knew anyone who had picked berries. I am incredibly grateful to the others I interviewed for opening their homes, memories, and hearts to me. I truly hope I did their stories justice in the pages that follow. And finally, a huge thank you to my husband, Jeffrey Howard, without whom my thesis may have still been a tangled mess. Thanks for acting as a sounding board and editor along the way, not to mention personal chef and housekeeper in the last few weeks of drafting. Amy C. Maxwell viii CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii PUBLIC ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................1 Ethnography of a Neighborhood .................................................................5 Personal Narrative and Folk History.........................................................13 Explanation of Chapters ............................................................................19 II. COOPERATION AND COMPETITION: COMMUNITY BUILDING AMONG FARMERS ON THE BENCH ........................................................22 Water and Sales: A Community of Farmers .............................................25 Sprayers and Starts: Community Support .................................................38 Women, Children, and the Family Garden ...............................................45 Sociality on the Bench ..............................................................................48 III. A COMMUNITY OF THEIR OWN: BERRY PICKING ON THE PROVIDENCE BENCH .................................................................................52 IV. TRICKSTER CHARACTERS AND CHILDREN’S FOLKLORE IN CHILDHOOD MEMORY NARRATIVES...................................................84 Elements of the Hero Trickster in Childhood Narratives .........................89 Secrecy ......................................................................................................98 Challenging Sibling Authority ................................................................102 Adult Themes in Play..............................................................................105 Conclusion ..............................................................................................109