Fruit Belt

Click Apple pickers to view an enlarged version of the image.

This photo depicts apple pickers in the Old Mission Peninsula. It was taken in the early 1890's. (The caption on the front of the photo gives the year as "1894." However, identifying information on the back gives the year as "1891." The exact date, then, is uncertain.)

Michigan's "fruit belt" strides the shore of Lake Michigan. The Lake itself plays a key role. It functions as a moderating body, preventing temperatures from getting too cold in the fall and too hot in the summer. It also provides the frequent rainfall that fruit farmers require. This climate combines with rich soil and regional topography to provide ideal fruit-growing conditions.

Michigan's fruit industry started to boom about the time of the Civil War. By then, Chicago's growing population had provided a ready market. Transportation improvements (notably the expansion of railroads) provided greater access to this and other population centers.

In Grand Traverse County (where the photo above was taken), the fruit industry grew as the lumber industry declined. In 1872, Grand Traverse County yielded 3,241 bushels of apples. Thirty years later, that number had increased to 276,000 bushels for a single year! Around the same time, Grand Traverse County had become Michigan's number one county for cherry production.

Michigan continues to be a leader in fruit production. In the year 2000, it ranked third nationwide in apple production. The state also ranks first in the production of blueberries and red tart cherries and fourth in the production of sweet cherries. Many other fruits, including peaches, plums, grapes and strawberries, grow abundantly here. For more information, click Michigan Agricultural Commodities to visit the Michigan Department of Agriculture's Commodities Site.

The Archives of Michigan houses a number of historical photographs documenting Michigan fruit culture. These can be found in the General Photograph Collection and also in a few private collections, such as the Richard W. Appleyard Collection (Click Appleyard to view the online catalog record.) Photographs and textual records of the Michigan Department of Agriculture also document aspects of the Michigan fruit industry.

-Bob Garrett, Archivist
E-mail:garrettr1@michigan.gov

The following Michigan History magazine articles provided data for this essay:

"Grand Traverse County" by Roger Rosentreter. Michigan History November/December 1982, pp. 13-16.

"The Secret Ingredient" by Kristin Jass Armstrong. Michigan History May/June 2006 pp. 6-12.

The May/June 2006 issue is a special issue devoted to Michigan fruit. Click Michigan History Magazine to order back issues.

Click Archives of Michigan to visit the Archives of Michigan home page.

Click Archives Image of the Month to view archived image pages.

Archives of Michigan
Michigan Library and Historical Center
702 W. Kalamazoo Street
Lansing, MI 48913
Phone: (517) 373-1408
E-mail: archives@michigan.gov

This page is the Archives Image of the Month page for October 2007.