Santa Paula Agriculture Museum

Santa Paula, California is an agricultural powerhouse, saturated with rolling hills and vast green orchards. The racism that seeps into America’s economy, specifically in agriculture, is an issue often dismissed. The town is roughly 83% hispanic, which leads back to the history of oppression within the economic realm. Just beside the main railroad lies the Agriculture Museum of Santa Paula. The Agriculture Museum resides at a railroad station built in 1888, exhibiting the rich history of Santa Paula’s geography, alongside the history of farming and ranching. Its location at the railroad station is essential in the story it tells; the agriculture within Santa Paula was crucial to state-wide and national economies. It not only was a resource to transport produce, but it stands as a notable set-piece in the stories of immigrants that experienced classism and racism. This site aims to highlight the social history of Santa Paula. I argue that the Santa Paula Agricultural Museum lacks showcasing the ways in which Santa Paula, and beyond, have been shaped by immigrants who haven’t received the recognition they deserve. 

The museum should not only tell the backstory of Santa Paula, but it should tell the story of racism and oppression that immigrants have widely experienced through generations. With unfair wages and unethical treatment, field workers are mistreated for a nation’s economic gain. While it is often overlooked in conversation, farmers’ history are arguably the backbone for much of America’s economic “success”. With interactive exhibits and landscape photos, the museum displays a light hearted description of Santa Paula’s history. However, the agriculture workers of Santa Paula, past and present, deserve to be acknowledged for their culture, community and resilience. 

Santa Paula, California is known to be the “citrus capital of the world” for its rolling orchards and abundant produce. However, something that goes unnoticed is how agriculture, farm workers, and immigration are what this town was created upon. Racism and economic inequalities play a crucial role in why farm workers have been disregarded and underappreciated. “The struggle against racism, exploitation, and oppression [are] taking place within the food system, [which] addresses inequality’s root causes” (Alkon, “Looking Back to Look Forward”). The Santa Paula Agricultural Museum is a space that presents the beauty of Santa Paula’s history in farming, however, this museum should also be a platform to tell the more difficult discussion of inequalities in Southern California’s past and present. This journal talks about “the broader structural and institutional dynamics of industrial agriculture and neoliberal capitalism” (Alkon, “Looking Back to Look Forward”). Racism that targets immigrated farm workers is significant in understanding the story of Santa Paula, California. The Agricultural Museum is a space that can be used to tell the institutional racism that is deeply embedded in the town, in order to give a more accurate history. “The original community of Santa Paula was established by the Chumash Indians as the villages of Mupu and Srswa. The land was later given away as part of a Spanish land grant to Rancho Santa Paula and Saticoy in 1840” (Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce). Just 15 years after the town was founded, “The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot was constructed in 1887 and is registered as a historical landmark”, which is where this museum resides today (SP Chamber of Commerce). As a result of the railroad, the small town of Santa Paula grew rapidly. It’s important to consider the significance of this railroad, as the Agricultural Museum is built right beside it. While the museum is very insightful, the railroad is arguably the most important part of the museum. The railroad is symbolic of the immigration, growth and culture that revolves around how Santa Paula began, but the museum currently doesn’t address a story that the railroad should tell.

How did it become such a powerhouse for California’s produce? With the history of countless lemon orchards and avocado trees, we often forget the stories of those who built Santa Paula. As we remember how Santa Paula’s culture was created, it is important to recognize the inequities that resided and continue to exist in its society. “The simple truth is our entire system of agricultural production is based on giving workers as little as possible, under circumstances that make it hard if not dangerous to complain — whether that means being undocumented or just so poor the loss of even a day’s work is devastating” (Boyd-Barrett, “Students Help Bring 'El Bracero' to Santa Paula.”). In 2023, the poverty line for a family of three rests at just over $24,000. Today, the average income for a farm worker in Santa Paula falls below the poverty line, starting at $21,000 per year (Federal Poverty Level). The unfair treatment of agricultural workers is important to recognize in the ways that the stories of Santa Paula are being told, and the racism that continues to be heavily influential. In 2016, Santa Paula High School created a play that honors Santa Paula’s farm workers. Lorenzo Moraza, president of the nonprofit Santa Paula Latino Town Hall, stated that "You just can't help but reflect on the fact that the story that is being told is the story that is still occurring today. People are coming and … working and it's got to be difficult to leave your family behind and risk it all to be here." (Boyd-Barrett, “Students Help Bring 'El Bracero' to Santa Paula.”). The Agricultural Museum is an opportunity to voice the difficult discussions, and how the charm of Santa Paula is built on a past of immigration and classism is crucial for understanding the town’s culture. The Los Angeles Times talks about how there is a “plantation mentality” around California’s farming industry, and that the benefits middle-upper class people experience rests on the unfair treatment of many, many people (Chabria, “Shooting Uncovers 'Plantation Mentality' in a Rich, Liberal California Enclave”). This side of the story is essential in the learning history of Santa Paula. Therefore it is necessary to discuss, “would the system really fall apart if we demand better for workers, or if we support them when they demand better for themselves? If we scrutinized labor conditions of America‘s farmworkers with the same urgency we use to ensure our mushrooms are organic, our coffee fair-trade and our chickens roaming free” (Chabria, “Shooting Uncovers 'Plantation Mentality' in a Rich, Liberal California Enclave”). The Santa Paula Agricultural Museum should tell the accurate story of how Santa Paula came to be, while advocating for those who have been, and continue to be, mistreated by the institutional racism within the world of agriculture. 

Alkon, Alison. “Looking Back to Look Forward.” Local Environment, vol. 23, no. 11, Nov. 

2018, pp. 1090–93. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2018.1534092.

Boyd-Barrett, Claudia. “Students Help Bring 'El Bracero' to Santa Paula.” Ventura County Star, 

PVCS, 28 Mar. 2016, https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/santa-paula/2016/03/28/students-help-bring-el-bracero-to-santa-paula/88711744/. 

Chabria, Anita. “Shooting Uncovers 'Plantation Mentality' in a Rich, Liberal California 

Enclave.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2023, https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-09/column-after-shooting-farmworkers-fight-to-keep-our-attention-

on-housing. 

“Federal Poverty Level (FPL) - Glossary.” Federal Poverty Level (FPL) - Glossary | HealthCare.gov, https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/federal-poverty-level-fpl/. 

Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce, https://www.santapaulachamber.com/living-here.