October 8, 2006
he introduction of two navel orange trees to Riverside from Brazil in the 1870s would lead to what some writers have termed California’s other “Gold Rush.” The navel orange (named for the end of the fruit resembling a belly button) has no seeds. In order to create new trees, a process called “budding” is required. The climate and soil conditions of inland Southern California proved to be perfect. The result was an international favorite: a large thick-skinned, sweet orange.

One of the two original navel trees imported to Riverside (known as the Bahia or Washington Parent Navel Orange) was named a California Historic Landmark in 1932, and continues to bear fruit. On May 8, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt and Mission Inn hotel owner Frank Miller replanted the second Washington Navel tree just outside the front door of the Inn’s Old Adobe. That tree did not survive (Klotz, 1982).

Several citrus packinghouses and the railroad tracks could be found within a few blocks of the Mission Inn. The “golden fruit” from the “Orange Empire” was shipped in thousands of refrigerated train boxcars to eagerly waiting customers across the country. Riverside and surrounding communities depended on the orange for their economic survival. Riverside street names reflect this: eleven city streets contain the word “orange," and all the basic citrus names--Grove, Lemon, Lime, and Orange—are covered, as well. The establishment in 1907 of the state Citrus Experiment Station at the base of Riverside’s Mount Rubidoux further enhanced the community’s “orange culture.” The Experiment Station later moved to what is now the University of California, Riverside campus.

Frank Miller often found (and created) opportunities to promote his Mission Inn by using the Washington Navel. There are accounts of him traveling east to the California-Arizona border, with baskets of oranges to welcome train passengers to California. Miller apparently hoped to persuade passengers to stop in Riverside prior to traveling on to Los Angeles and other parts of the state. Early spring was the perfect time. Visitors to the region sometimes planned their annual stays to coincide with the blossoming of the Washington navel trees. The fruit was at its sweetest; the trees in full snowy bloom, and an intoxicating fragrance filled the damp evening air. It was also the ideal time to promote “Orange Day” and other citrus related events, including the National Orange Show held in San Bernardino, north of Riverside.

Visitors to the Mission Inn had endless opportunities to purchase souvenirs and other items from the hotel’s gift shops. Objects inspired by “orange culture” were available, along with Native American basketry, decorative Arts and Crafts-style items, Asian art objects, and other mementos. The Mission Inn Museum’s collections now contain decorative plates and silver spoons, which had been available in the shops, featuring images of oranges and orange blossoms. Perhaps the most unusual items were pieces of the Washington navel planted by Miller and President Roosevelt. When the tree died in 1921, Miller had the tree cut up and sold the pieces as souvenirs (Klotz, Lawton & Hall, 1989).

Packinghouses still stand within a few blocks of the hotel, although the buildings currently have other uses. Riverside is now home to the California Citrus State Historic Park, which opened in 1993 to celebrate the state’s citrus heritage. Citrus trees continue to influence Mission Inn landscaping and décor. In the Cloister Music Room, beautiful stained glass windows, created by Harry Goodhue as a memorial to Frank Miller’s first wife, Isabella, include oranges as design elements. A della Robbia style plaque of the Madonna and Child in the Spanish Patio is surrounded by a wreath filled with oranges and other citrus fruits. Even Miller’s Mission Inn escutcheon (his custom designed shield and symbol of the Inn) reflects citrus culture. Pictured are St. Francis of Assisi, Father Junipero Serra, a Native American, bells, and crosses. The orange and green background symbolizes the orange groves of Riverside, a fitting tribute to the rich citrus history of the region.