In 1994, the City of Sunnyvale preserved ten acres of Blenheim apricot trees to celebrate the important contribution of orchards to the early development of the local economy. The orchard was designated as Heritage Orchard Park by the Historical Society in 1997. The ten-acre orchard has about 80 trees per acre for a total of about 800 trees. In addition, the Orchard Heritage Park Interpretive Exhibit (OHPIE) was built in 2001 next to the orchard. The open barn-like structure presents interpretive displays of the lives of the orchard workers and the process of cultivating and canning fruit in the first half of the 20th Century. Examples of early cultivators and other ranching equipment border the exhibit. The Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum opened next to the orchard in 2008. Photos of the apricot orchard follow.
Orchard Park Sign, June 11, 2017
Dawn Moon and White Apricot Blossoms, Feb 26, 2016
Close-up of the apricot flowers, March 8, 2015
Wagon, March 18, 2019
Trees are leafed out under clearing skies after a spring rain, April 8, 2015
Green Apricots, May 10, 2015
Apricots ready to pick, June 8, 2016
Apricots close up, June 11, 2017
Orchard ladder, June 8, 2016
Stacked crates, June 8, 2016
Apricots on another tree and on the ground, June 16, 2015
Video of apricot tree laden with fruit, June 21, 2015
Pails of apricots, June 21, 2015
Apricot sapling, part of the regular replacement of trees as they age past peak production, June 30, 2019
First Day of Fall, September 21, 2017
Autumn Orchard from Upstairs Kitchen Window, December 12, 2015
Rain puddles reflect the sunrise, January 8, 2016
To view another series of orchard views taken from the same spot, click here.
California Apricots – The Lost Orchards of Silicon Valley
Learn more from local author Robin Chapman’s book “California Apricots – The Lost Orchards of Silicon Valley” available for purchase in the Museum Gift Shop.
Copyright © 2015 Sunnyvale Historical Society & Museum Association, Inc., All Rights Reserved