Preparing for Shipping
The Paul Ecke Ranch (n.d.) moved to Encinitas, California, due to its temperate climate, good water supply, and most importantly the nearness to a railroad siding. Freights could be easily loaded and unloaded at railroad sidings.
Shipping poinsettias by rail via the Escondido Train Station helped ensure poinsettias were received in a timely manner. From 1929 to 1966, the Ranch harvested field-grown poinsettia mother plants in the spring and shipped them by box cars to greenhouse growers across the country (Ibid). Trucks were utilized as the first and last stages of poinsettia delivery. Beginning in the 20th century, cuttings from greenhouses were shipped by air freight to growers.
The Paul Ecke Ranch collection at CSUSM holds archival material around the shipping of floriculture. Here are a few relevant series and box numbers to get you started in your research:
- Correspondence: (e.g., Box 185; & Box 90)
- Invoices and receipts: (e.g., Box 85 & Box 492)
- Shipping & transportation: (e.g., Box 197 & Box 273)
Please consult our Finding Aid for the Ecke collection for more information about what is within the collection. If you have any questions, contact us at archives@csusm.edu.
Citation
Paul Ecke Ranch, Inc. (n.d.). A holiday guide to poinsettias [Brochure]. Paul Ecke Ranch, Inc. Business Records and Family Papers (Box 333), California State University San Marcos.
Gallery
Employees in front of the vacuum cooler at Farm 2, Paul Ecke de Guatemala
Ricardo Campos (right), general manager, Paul Ecke de Guatemala, in front of the vacuum cooler used to cool cuttings after harvest.
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Dipping Poinsettia Bare Root Stock
Dipping poinsettia bare root stock in a mercury based bath (presumably) before shipping. Picture taken south of the Encinitas Ranch House (in the background). Poinsettia bare root stock was dipped in mercury to kill any pathogens or pests prior to shipping the stock across the country by rail.
This work is protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Use of this work beyond that allowed by "fair use" requires written permission of the copyright holder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and any use and distribution of this work rests exclusively with the user and not the CSUSM Library. Inquiries can be made to Special Collections staff for additional information.
Transportation Truck at Ecke Ranch
Lower right: Paul Ecke, Sr. The truck would head to the Encinitas Train Station to ship boxes of bare root poinsettias. Customers would plant them and they would grow into large plants. Cut poinsettias would then be harvested from them.
This work is protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Use of this work beyond that allowed by "fair use" requires written permission of the copyright holder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and any use and distribution of this work rests exclusively with the user and not the CSUSM Library. Inquiries can be made to Special Collections staff for additional information.
Shipping Bare Root Poinsettias by Rail
Picture taken at the Encinitas Train Station (downtown Encinitas, California). Second from left: Charlie McCarver. Behind him: Ernie Ruth.
This work is protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Use of this work beyond that allowed by "fair use" requires written permission of the copyright holder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and any use and distribution of this work rests exclusively with the user and not the CSUSM Library. Inquiries can be made to Special Collections staff for additional information.
Electric Cart Pulling Trays of Cuttings (1968)
Electric cart pulling trays of summer Poinsettia cuttings to be shipped during propagation season.
This work is protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Use of this work beyond that allowed by "fair use" requires written permission of the copyright holder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and any use and distribution of this work rests exclusively with the user and not the CSUSM Library. Inquiries can be made to Special Collections staff for additional information.
Use Restrictions Note
Property rights to the physical object belong to CSUSM Library. Intellectual rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish.
Access Restrictions Note
The Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room is accessible by appointment only, Monday-Friday, 8am - 4pm. Final requests for materials must be made one hour prior to closing. Please submit requests for archival materials at least 48 hours in advance of desired appointment. Materials requested over the weekend will be available on the following Wednesday at the earliest.
Please note that Special Collections and University Archives observes all campus holiday closures as noted in the Library Calendar. For more information, please send an email to archives@csusm.edu or call at 760-750-4312. The Ecke collection includes records with restricted access, including medical records, documents listing Social Security numbers, personnel records, archival original media (including fragile original photographic formats, audio and/or video recordings, and disk media), and materials named in the gift agreement as restricted to use for a stipulated period of time.
The Special Collections and Archives department does not itself waive such restrictions, nor will it act as an advocate for any researcher seeking such waivers. Access to restricted materials requires the permission of the donor or donor’s agent, and the application process is the responsibility of the researcher.