Object Catalog Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Japanese Mandarin Crate |
Object # |
2020.2.92.1 |
Object Name |
Crate, Shipping |
Artist |
Japan Fruit Growers Cooperative Association |
Description |
Wooden Japanese mandarin crate for approximately 30 pieces of fruit. Small and rectangular-shaped. Originally was a closed crate with six sides. One of the top slats was removed. A paper label is partially attached to one short end. The label reads, "The Original Japanese Mandarin Oranges/ GROWN IN JAPAN NOT LESS THAN 30 ORANGES PACKED BY JAPAN FRUIT GROWERS COOP. ASS'N/ JAPAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS EXPORTERS ASSOCIATION." |
Provenance |
Japanese mandarins feature prominently in many Ketchikan kid's memories of Christmas. They were a sweet surprise often found in the toe of a stocking. It is not known when mandarins first came to Ketchikan. Our neighbors in British Columbia first imported Japanese mandarins in the late 1800s to provide Japanese workers with a taste of their original home. It is possible the fruit was available to the Japanese and Chinese cannery workers in Loring and the surrounding areas. During World War II the ties between Japanese exporters and the United States were severed. In late 1948, the Japan Fruit Growers Cooperative Association joined 20 agricultural producers together and helped reintroduce mandarins and other fruit from Japan back to the United States and Canada. This crate cannot be any older than 1948. |
Material |
Wood/Paper |
Dimensions |
H-6 W-8.5 D-11.875 inches |
People |
McGillvray, Brian |
Search Terms |
Artifact of the Month article Childhood Children Christmas Fruit Holiday Japanese Mandarin Orange Produce |
Multimedia link |
Artifact of the Month article |
Credit line |
Ketchikan Museums, KM 2020.2.92.1 |