A.K. Smiley Public Library welcomes back Dr. Benjamin Jenkins on Saturday, June 1 at 11am for a presentation on his recent book Octopus’s Garden: How Railroads and Citrus Transformed Southern California in the Assembly Room and on Zoom.
Published in 2023, Octopus’s Garden demonstrates that the railroad and citrus industries cooperated to reshape the economy, landscape, and culture of Southern California from the 1870s through the 1950s. Jenkins will discuss topics of local historical interest ranging from Sunkist and Mutual Orange Distributors to the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads. Copies of Octopus’s Garden will be available for purchase at the conclusion of the presentation.
This event is free and open to the public. To watch from home, please click this link on the day of the program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87937777432. Registration is not required. If you have any questions, please contact the Heritage Room at (909)798-7632 and heritage@akspl.org. Program subject to change.
About the Author:
Benjamin Jenkins, MLIS, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of History and Archivist at the University of La Verne, where he teaches United States and California history and he directs the Public History Program. He received his Ph.D. in Public History at the University of California, Riverside. Octopus’s Garden: How Railroads and Citrus Transformed Southern California is his most recent book, and the second to focus on the California citrus industry.