UC Riverside UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The Octopus’s Garden: Railroads, Citrus Agriculture, and the Emergence of Southern California Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7rr152hg Author Jenkins, Benjamin Publication Date 2016 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ 4.0 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE The Octopus’s Garden: Railroads, Citrus Agriculture, and the Emergence of Southern California A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History by Benjamin Thomas Jenkins June 2016 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Clifford E. Trafzer, Chairperson Dr. Larry E. Burgess Dr. Rebecca Kugel Copyright by Benjamin Thomas Jenkins 2016 The Dissertation of Benjamin Thomas Jenkins is approved: Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside Acknowledgements Upon reflection, writing a dissertation seems not unlike summiting Mount Everest. The thrill of the challenge empowers the would-be climber at first, but soon the sheer enormity of the task overwhelms the senses. Only with the guidance of intellectual, emotional, and spiritual supporters does one have any hope of reaching the dissertation’s peak. Countless historians have written about agriculture and transportation in the American West, and many have focused specifically on topics pertaining to this study. Richard Orsi’s Sunset Limited, William Deverell’s Railroad Crossing, Donovan Hofsommer’s Southern Pacific, Ward McAfee’s California’s Railroad Era, and Keith Bryant’s History of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway have all shaped my understanding of the roles of railroads in the Golden State. In the realm of citrus agriculture, Douglas Sackman’s Orange Empire, Jared Farmer’s Trees in Paradise, Matt Garcia’s A World of Its Own, Gilbert González’s Labor and Community, and José Alamillo’s Making Lemonade out of Lemons have offered fascinating, informative studies about the impact of oranges and lemons on workers, capitalists, and consumers. This work follows in their very capable footsteps. I have been fortunate enough to know many such guides during my time planning, researching, and writing this work. As an undergraduate at the University of La Verne, I worked with professors who shared my passion for California history. Special thanks go to Alfred Clark, Stephen Sayles, Gregory Cumming, and Kenneth Marcus for introducing iv me to the complexities of California’s storied past, and for encouraging me to pursue this unique field of study. Three readers have provided invaluable aid in the composition of this work. At the University of California, Riverside, I found a kindred spirit and mentor in the form of Clifford Trafzer. A champion of my project since day one, Cliff has constantly supported my professional activities and scholarly pursuits. He has given me necessary nudges to chase funding sources and to publish during graduate school, which have significantly enhanced my reputation as a historian and my self-confidence. I am privileged and proud to call him my mentor and friend. Larry Burgess has stoked my interest in archival management and the history of the American West. His expertise in public history, storytelling ability, and historical knowledge greatly shaped the trajectory of this work. Finally, Rebecca “Monte” Kugel, with whom I was fortunate enough to take a research seminar, provided helpful suggestions and improved my abilities as a writer. Her extensive knowledge of the historical craft benefited me immensely during the countless hours I spent at the computer hammering my primary and secondary sources into a (hopefully) cohesive history. Many other professors at the University of California, Riverside, have honed my scholarly abilities and writing. I thank Catherine Allgor, Lynda Bell, Catherine Gudis, Robb Hernandez, Steven Hackel, Alexander Haskell, Jennifer Hughes, Molly McGarry, Stella Nair, and Jason Weems for introducing me to the professional world of history and providing helpful criticism of my work. On the staff of the Department of History, Iselda Salgado, a wonderful human being who does far more for graduate students than we have v any right to expect, has my deepest gratitude. I sincerely thank Celeste Townsend for helping me navigate the murky waters of research grants and finance at the University of California. Graduate school, perhaps inevitably, brings together classmates as friends. I have been extremely fortunate in the friends that the Department of History at the University of California, Riverside, has given me. Among them, Natalie Anderson-Patch, Steve Anderson, George Curley, Leann Do, Gabe Flores, Russell Fehr, Andrew Frantz, Sam Fullerton, Kristen Hayashi, Brendan Lindsay, Todd Luce, Moyses Marcos, Daisy O’Campo, Bob Przeklasa, Meranda Roberts, Nicolette Rohr, Santos Roman, Ken Schafer, Carolyn Schutten, David Shanta, Megan Suster, Heather VanMouwerik, Daisy Vargas, David Wagner, Kevin Whalen, and Sarah Wolk have all been compassionate and loving individuals whose passion for historical study encouraged me to do my best work. I thank them for their helpful criticisms, the coffees and meals, and all the good times we shared musing on graduate school. I cannot overstate my gratitude for your friendship. I was fortunate enough to receive funding for my research and the opportunity to teach during my five years at the University of California, Riverside. The Rupert Costo endowment helped fund my education, as did the California Center for Native Nations, where I worked as a research associate. In the Department of History, I was awarded a Quarterly Research Grant that I used to travel to manuscript repositories with fantastic historical information. A Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellowship during my first year and Dissertation Year Program Fellowship during my final year provided much-needed support and acted as appropriate bookends to my career as a graduate student. I thank the vi Graduate Studies Committee of the Department of History and the Graduate Division of UCR for considering my project a worthwhile endeavor and providing me the opportunity to grow as a scholar and teacher. As all his students know, Cliff constantly urges his mentees to publish. From my first quarter at the University of California, Riverside, he urged me to send my manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals to cultivate my reputation as a scholar. I was fortunate enough to find a historian who saw value in my work in Steven Danvers, editor of the Journal of the West. Portions of the first and second chapters of this work originally appeared in volume 51, issue 1 of that journal, and I reprint those portions here with permission. No historian would ever complete a project without the aid of kind, knowledgeable archivists. I have many to thank who provided me with unparalleled primary and secondary resources. During my first quarter of graduate school, I met Kevin Hallaran (a fellow Highlander!) of the Riverside Metropolitan Museum. His ability to connect me with vital sources brought this project to life immediately after I became a graduate student. At the Huntington Library, Jennii Goldman and Daniel Lewis (another fellow Highlander!) helped me gain access to various collections that have deepened my understanding of California history and enriched this project. Matthew Law of the National Archives at Riverside brought to my attention excellent resources that productively complicated my scholarship on labor in the citrus industry. To the four of them, I offer my gratitude and respect. vii At the California State Archives, the helpful staff, especially Jessica Herrick, guided me through mountains of historical data to the collections I needed. Elena Smith and the staff of the California History Room of the California State Library similarly tracked down wonderful archival material for my study. Kathryn Santos helped me navigate the rich collections of the California State Railroad Museum. At the Bancroft Library, I wish to extend my thanks to the staff of the research room, particularly Iris Donovan and Kelly Jones, who brought me far more manuscript sources than I had any right to request on short notice. My friends, those whom I have known for years and those whom I have just met, all supported me in my quest to climb this mountain. First and foremost among them is Margo Cash, my girlfriend and loving companion. She not only provided me with compassion, but also reviewed my writing. Steven McNinch deserves similar praise for his constant friendship and his ability to pull me away from my work so that it never overwhelmed me. These and many, many others have my eternal thanks and friendship for the tremendous gifts they have given me. The last and greatest thanks I extend to Mom, Dad, and Rico. Rico, my beloved Black Labrador Retriever, lived with us for almost a dozen years and provided humor, joy, and unconditional love every single day. Sadly, he succumbed to cancer before I finished this study. His selflessness, dignity, and empathy gave me the courage and perseverance I needed to complete this project. I bear his compassionate, loving imprint on my life every day. My parents are and always have been my greatest supporters, encouraging me to dream bigger and aim higher than I believed possible. They have viii endured countless rants about the difficulties of life during graduate school with patience above and beyond