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The first day of prune season, 1907 Washougal, Washington. Pictured are shakers (the men holding poles), pickers, and the owner of the prune orchard, Frank Russell, sitting in his car. The prunes were shaken off the trees and then picked up, packed into 50 pound boxes, and then taken to be dried. Courtesy of the Camas-Washougal Historical Society

As workers cleared timber and new industry was established, agriculture soon became another important element of the LaCamas economy. The land surrounding LaCamas had a natural advantage for fruit growing with its rich soil and mild climate. By the late 1880's, many families had planted peach, pear, apple, and prune orchards.

Prunes were a desirable crop because any fruit grown in the Northwest needed to be dried for shipment. Orchardists grew prunes all over Clark County, but they were especially popular on "Prune Hill," located near LaCamas. Prunes sold for more than fifteen cents a pound and prices stayed high until World War I.

This is the natural home of the Italian prune. Here it never fails, is exceedingly prolific and of the finest quality. Even estimating the crop at the low price of five cents per pound, every acre of this land, when the trees are five years old, will net over $150 per acre every year. -- The LaCamas News, May 10, 1889

Vancouver's first annual Prune Festival, in September 1918, featured a marching group calling themselves the "prunarians," who were all clad in matching suits made by Washougal's woolen mill.

By 1900, more than 435,000 Italian plum trees in Clark County were producing over 819 tons of fruit. Workers and owners picked plums and took them to Mt. Norway, or to local farmers, for drying and canning. Prune farmers exported more than 75 percent of their crop to countries such as Germany, Poland, and Austria.

In the 1930s and '40s the prune industry of Clark County declined because California farmers could grow more varieties at a lower cost, and a World War II embargo barred exports to Germany. In addition, an insect destroyed many of the orchards. The prune farmers of the area never recovered.

The History of Prune Hill

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Part I - The Cascade Indians & Early Town History
Part II - Mill Town
Part III - Growth and Change

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