#95 A Little History with Your Apples

Noble Orchards
7050 Pentz Rd.
530-877-4784
Open to the public July through late Winter

At one time Paradise was known as California's apple center, and the first apple celebration here was in 1880 and was called the Harvest Home Festival. Through the years, the festival had many names and in 1968 it became Johnny Appleseed Days.

You can still visit an apple orchard that has producing trees that date back to the late 1800's. Since 1921 the Noble Orchards have been producing apples. It's still family run, and is the last of such farms on the Ridge. Seventeen varieties of apples are harvested from the now 30 acres and 20 acres of peaches and nectarines. Pies for the Johnny Appleseed Festival are made from Noble Orchard apples.

History buffs will appreciate the 1932 fruit packing shed still in use today, and collectors will appreciate the original fruit labels (ones that were never put on those old wooden boxes).

So whether you just want to purchase some quality apples or experience a little of the Ridge history, you'll enjoy a visit to Noble Orchards.

A Bit of Paradise History:
Paradise Ridge first became a passageway from Oroville to Susanville and Nevada along the Pentz Road route. In what is now Paradise, the stagecoach followed the current Clark Road, joining the Oroville-Susanville Road near Magalia. Neal Road was originally a cattle road and later served the Durham-Chico area. Families settled on farms around the Ridge as early as 1853, cultivating crops and raising hogs.

Early on, lumbering and livestock were the mainstays of the area. Farming the area began with an olive orchard on Clark Road, and at one time Paradise was known as California's apple center, hence Johnny Appleseed Days each Oct. But it was the discovery of the largest gold nugget ever found in California that is responsible for the town's largest annual celebration, Gold Nugget Days, each April.

The nugget, discovered in 1859, weighed 54 pounds in the rough, and from it came a refined 49.5 pounds of pure gold worth $10,960 at the time. Life in the pines is above the valley fog, and as in the 1800's, winter varies a great deal according to just exactly where you are in the area, as the following altitude numbers indicate.

Altitude (feet above sea level): Paradise: 1,200-2,400 feet, Magalia: 2,400-2,800 feet, Stirling City: 3,600 feet, Inskip: 4,800 feet Yes, to be sure, life in the pines is above the valley fog, but whether it's below the snow or not depends on if you're in Paradise, Magalia, Stirling City or Inskip!