Author Description

This Citrus Era in San Dimas began in 1879 when Crawford Teague reportedly planted the first citrus tree and ended when the local orange and lemon packing plants ceased operation in 1953.San Dimas had ideal topography for citrus: gently sloping land facing south and west and adequate access to water that flowed from the San Gabriel Mountains through San Dimas Canyon into Walnut Creek, then into the San Gabriel River, finally emptying into the Pacific Ocean.The community had the good fortune to have Crawford and Amanda Teague's family settle in the area. This book begins with poetry describing their three sons: Jasper, David, and Robert. By 1912, one of them, Robert Teague, operated the largest citrus nursey in the world. San Dimas, the Crown of the Citrus Belt, was blessed with a convergence of topography, resources, weather, transportation, technology, and ground-breaking pioneers. Pomona Valley Poetry includes four sections:Citrus Industry: Crops, Processing, and Marketing Have you ever sat down and wonderedHow a town of only a few hundredWould have citizens with the abilitiesTo pioneer citrus packing facilities?Community: Business, Economy, and RecreationBy the end of '87, this was investment heaven.We felt so blessed with buyers pouring west. The surveying was done. Land sales had begun.,Lot prices were rising. Towns were materializing.Institutions: Schools, Colleges, and Government ProgramsFor colleges like Pomona, La Verne, even USC,Churches have been at the very root of the tree.What those ambitious pioneers accomplishedHas left today's observers amazed and astonished.Infrastructure: Water, Utilities, and TransportationWe felt that the Flood Control District Had a plan for a dam that was realistic.Soon the engineers achieved their goalOf managing runoff and flood control.