OREGON CRANBERRY HISTORY

INDIANS SUPPLIED CRANBERRIES TO EARLY EXPLORERS

The story of the cranberry in Oregon begins long before the first settlers came into the Northwest Territory.  The cranberry is one of there fruits native to North America, the others being the concord grape and the blueberry.  The cranberry  grew wild on the Clatsop Plain south of the mighty Columbia River and was an important part of the native Quinault and Queet Indians' diet.

When the historic Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804 - 1806 reached the northwestern section of what is now Oregon, the explorers bought cranberries from the Indians.  This renowned group of explorers spent the winter in this area, which was a major cranberry producing region.  The Indians attributed medicinal properties to the cranberry.  The bright little berry was also an important ingredient in the Indian's "Pemmican".  Pemmican was a mixture of dried meat, fat and cranberries, pounded to a pulp, patted into cakes and placed in the sun to dry.  It was often carried on long trips or explorations.

Later in Oregon's history, when homesteaders settled on the Clatsop Plain, these pioneers gathered the wild cranberries for their own use and for shipment to California's early settlers.  Cranberries were an important scurvy preventative in the frontier logging camps and mining settlements.  The berry contained important vitamin C, and their natural waxy coating aided preservation over long periods of time.

MINING FOR THE "RED" GOLD

The first bog for cranberry cultivation was established in 1885 by Charles Dexter McFarlin, and it is still bearing fruit.  McFarlin had come west from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to pan for gold in the California rivers.  When his plans for this venture failed to pan out, McFarlin concentrated his efforts on "mining for red gold" in Oregon.  This is what harvesting is still called in Coos County, where McFarlin planted his first bog.  McFarlin planted vines which he had shipped from his native Cape Cod, and from these he developed a variety of cranberry adapted to growing conditions on the Pacific Coast.  Named the McFarlin in his honor, this variety is still produced in volume by many West Coast growers.

In those early days of Oregon's cranberry industry, the berries were harvested by the Quinault and Queet Indians who had previously supplied the early white visitors with wild cranberries.  The first bogs on the West Coast were built (as were the first railroads) by Chinese laborers.

STEADY CRANBERRY INDUSTRY GROWTH

Oregon's cranberry industry has experienced steady growth since McFarlin's pioneer planting in 1885.  From 1906 to 1925, eight bogs were established in the state.  From 1926 to 1945, records show that 179 acres were planted by 43 growers.  A large number of acres, 277, was planted by 87 growers in the decade after Ocean Spray, the national cranberry growers' cooperative, extended its services to West Coast growers.  Ocean Spray opened its facility in Coos County in 1946.  Oregon's cranberry plantations were concentrated in Coos and Curry counties. 

Since those early years, the Oregon cranberry industry has continued it's steady growth.  There are 173 growers in Oregon.  With approximately 2500 acres currently under cultivation, Oregon growers harvest about 40 million pounds of fruit each year and produces about 7.4% of all the cranberries grown in the United States.   The average cranberry farm is between 15 - 20 acres.  Ocean Spray, who was once the dominate player in the area, is no longer the only receiving station in Coos and Curry counties.  There are at least a half dozen receiving stations that growers can deliver to.  The West Coast berry has become an important commodity for buyers....because of our longer growing season we grow a berry that is darker in color.  That "DARK RED" berry is needed to mix with the berries from other growing areas with shorter growing seasons.  When it comes to cranberry juice....If it's "RED", there is an Oregon Cranberry in the bottle!