Simcoe Ontario Canada Apple Pickers Mason's Orchard Grove Real Photo Postcard
Simcoe, Ontario, located in Norfolk County, developed as a significant agricultural region renowned for its fruit production, particularly apples, throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This postcard documents an active harvest at F. Mason's "Orchard Grove," illustrating the labor-intensive practices characteristic of Canadian apple farming during that era. Workers employed traditional wooden ladders and hand-woven baskets to gather apples directly from the trees, a common method prior to the widespread adoption of modern orchard technology.
Once harvested, the apples were meticulously packed into wooden barrels, as seen in the foreground with labels identifying them as "CANADIAN APPLES" and indicating a shipper or packer like "R.J. ROSS BRIGHTON ONT. WAGNER." This detail underscores the established commercial networks of the time, where local produce from areas like Simcoe was prepared for broader distribution, often through larger agricultural centers like Brighton. These family-owned orchards formed the backbone of regional economies, providing seasonal employment and contributing substantially to Canada's burgeoning agricultural industry.
Once harvested, the apples were meticulously packed into wooden barrels, as seen in the foreground with labels identifying them as "CANADIAN APPLES" and indicating a shipper or packer like "R.J. ROSS BRIGHTON ONT. WAGNER." This detail underscores the established commercial networks of the time, where local produce from areas like Simcoe was prepared for broader distribution, often through larger agricultural centers like Brighton. These family-owned orchards formed the backbone of regional economies, providing seasonal employment and contributing substantially to Canada's burgeoning agricultural industry.
