They stand there, obviously dressed in their best outfits, as people usually did when posing for photographs in the late 19th century, even though in this case they are standing in a packing house, surrounded by orange crates.

The only illumination is the bright Southern California sun coming through a small skylight toward the back of the room. The photo caption, supplied by the Escondido Public Library’s Pioneer Room photo archives identifies the setting as the interior of the “Sechrest Packing House,” circa 1895, “the first Escondido orange packing house and its workers.”

You can find out more about the Sechrest Packing House and the heyday of the citrus industry in Escondido by ordering my book, Valleys of Dreams, from the “My Books” tab on this website.

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