A new installment of the locally produced "Hometown Heroes" series
In the early 1900's, Samuel Rosenberg was a prominent Seattle businessman who had made a sizable fortune outfitting prospectors headed for the gold fields of Alaska and the Yukon. In 1910, he branched out and used his resources to build Seattle's luxurious Sorrento Hotel and with the proceeds purchased the Bear Creek Orchard in Southern Oregon.
Eventually, Rosenberg would bring two individuals to his orchard whose drive and ingenuity would ultimately set the Bear Creek Orchard apart from the others of the region, his two sons, Harry & David.
During this early period, Harry & David studied Agriculture at Cornell University. when they graduated, they moved to Medford to help in the management of their father's properties. Initially, the two young men were more interested in raising prize winning Merino sheep on the ranch. With the death of their father in 1916, however, managing the orchard began consuming increasing amounts of their time and effort.
These early years were successful ones for the Rosenberg brothers,The high quality of harry & David's fruit was acknowledged in 1919 when a carload of Bartlett pears from Bear Creek set a record price of $3.85 per box. several days later, a second carload of bear Creek pears shattered that record when it sold for $4.05 per box.
It was not in the young Rosenberg brothers character, however to merely sit back and enjoy the life of "gentlemen orchardists". They were constantly seeking new ways to improve their product & productivity. This drive would propel them to a new status of mail order giants, and legends in the industry.
Produced in the studio of Southern Oregon Public Television
MP4 format