Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
The Lake Wales Highlander of 100 years ago reveals much about the history of our community. Each week the Lake Wales News will publish a front-page image of the former Lake Wales Highlander from 100 years earlier, tracking the growth of the community a century ago, when Florida was in the midst of a great land price boom and rapid population growth.
The orderly and controlled marketing of citrus, including strict quality standards, was on the minds of those engaged in the rapidly-growing industry in 1924. Low-grade fruit sent to northern markets had damaged the state's reputation, and new rules were seen as the answer.
A murder, a automobile crash on Scenic Highway, and the doings of the Board of Trade were among the topics that made the front page of The Highlander 100 years ago this week.
Within the pages of the paper was a broadside explanation of the new rules being proposed to govern the sales of citrus. Those rules eventually led to state laws that required fruit to meet a number of standards. The evolving industry eventually shifted from selling fresh fruit to canned, then to concentrate, before turning to today's popular "single strength, not-from-concentrate" as produced by Florida's Natural locally.
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