Site information:

400 Glen Drive, Oroville

39.511261, -121.504016

Plaque information:

Private plaque at original site near Bidwell's Bar.
39.537573,-121.454912

State plaque at current location on Glen Ave, above.

Plaque text:

Mother Orange Tree of Butte County

Judge Joseph Lewis planted this Mediterranean Sweet Orange seedling near the toll bridge at Bidwell’s Bar, Butte County, California in 1856. It has survived hard times and is the oldest living orange tree in California. “From its example and largely from its offspring, a new industry was started in a new section hundreds of miles north of a known citrus region. It was a true pioneer,” – Dr. H.J. Webber, Director, Citrus Experiment Station, Riverside, 1927. The Mother Orange was moved from Bidwell Bar during the construction of Oroville Dam in 1964 to protect it from inundation.

Plaque placed by California State Parks in cooperation with the Butte County Historical Society and U.C. Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor for Citrus in Butte County, May 6, 2006.