Abstract:
Pittard recounts the history of Ridgeway which once proclaimed itself the \"Cantaloupe Capital of the World.\" In the early 1900s, German immigrants, after having failed at raising small fruits, such as dewberries and strawberries, turned to cantaloupes and found them perfect for the soil. In the early 1940s, 100 railcars of cantaloupes were shipped in season, and production often exceeded 80,000 crates. However, blight attacked the fields after World War II. Though the disease was brought under control, production never again reached pre-war levels.