As early as 1792 a wide variety of fruit was reported growing near Mission San Jose including apples, pears, apricots, peaches, figs, oranges, limes, grapes, and pomegranates. The seeds and starters brought to plant the orchards and plots around the California missions provided the origins of many crops in the central and southern parts of the state, but the sudden influx of miners and gold-seekers (and the prices they were willing to pay) really established the agricultural industry in the Sacramento Valley. Many would-be prospectors mined the wealth of their fellow immigrants by establishing fields and orchards that provided the necessities that residents and visitors clamored for. This postcard printed in Milwaukee shows a fruit ranch spread out near Sacramento, Ca. 19190, but offers no clue as to where exactly it was located.
