Group Archives | Page 2 of 2 | Applebox Belles: The Women of Lake Country’s Packinghouses

The packinghouse crew of the Vernon Fruit Union, Oyama, 1920s

The Vernon Fruit Union operated a packinghouse in Oyama from 1913 to 1974.

Vernon Fruit Union, Oyama, 1914

The Vernon Fruit Union packing crew and their families, 1914. Back Row: Winnie Brown, Mrs. Curfoot, Charlie Phillips, Alec Philips, Sam Tyndall Front Row: Floyd Whipple, Ted Fudge […]

Vernon Fruit Union packinghouse, Oyama, 1940s

The sorting line at the Vernon Fruit Union packinghouse, Oyama, 1940s.

Packinghouse crew at Okanagan Centre, October, 1928

Left to right: Unknown, Malcolm Douglas, unknown, unknown, Ivy Fallow, J. W. Cole, Charlie Draper, unknown, Cliff Fallow, Alice Crowder, Sadie Rutt, Mrs. Rutt

Winoka Cooperative Exchange staff, 1946

Winoka Cooperative Exchange staff, Okanagan Centre, October 10th, 1946. Ann Cook, Curly McDonald, Edie Gibbons, Helen Lidstone, Mrs. French, Joyce Buckley, Bryan Cooney, Minnie Dehnke, Norm Simpson, Hiroshi […]

Vernon Fruit Union packinghouse, Oyama, 1931

The first attempt to unionize packinghouse workers took place in the 1930s but was unsuccessful due to the surplus of available workers.

The packing line at the Vernon Fruit Union, Winfield, early 1940s

As each packer completed her pack she stamped her number on the end of the box. This formed the basis for payment.

The sorting line at the Vernon Fruit Union, Winfield, early 1940s

The belles normally worked ten hours a day. Sorters were paid by the hour, earning less than $15 per week.

The floating picket line

The floating picket line of Okanagan Centre packinghouse workers, 1955.

Kelowna Farmer’s Exchange packing school, 1914

The first packing school available to local women ran a class in the winter of 1914 at the Kelowna Grower’s Exchange packinghouse. Packing schools operated in the Okanagan […]

The Okanagan Valley Land Company, 1910

The Okanagan Valley Land Company planted thousands of acres of orchards in Lake Country. The main office was located near the wharf in Okanagan Centre.