CALIFORNIA BRIEF HISTORY

California Economic Development, 1850-1900

Agriculture

The focus of agriculture in California shifted in the 1860s from raising livestock, or ranching, to growing grain. Particularly in the vast Central Valley, farmers began devoting former grazing land to wheat and barley cultivation. Grain and flour produced in California were carried by ship around South America to the eastern United States. Farmers in the Central Valley and in southern California, however, found they could make more money raising fruits and vegetables. After 1869 California was linked by railroad with the Eastern states; refrigerated freight cars made shipping fruit and vegetables to those markets possible.