Ann Linebarger, left, and Rosie Tabor work at the Linebarger strawberry packing shed, located near the Monitor community northeast of Springdale, circa 1925. The two children standing in front of the shed were waiting for their mother, who was out in the field picking berries. From the late 1800 s to 1930 s, trainloads of strawberries were shipped from the Ozark region. Two popular varieties grown in Northwest Arkansas were Klondike and Aroma. Small-sized berry patches were picked with local help, but larger growers depended on migrant labor to do the work. Whole families would follow the berry harvest with everyone old enough to carry a picking tray and recognize a ripe berry helping with the harvest. Pickers received tickets for each quart picked and paid based on the number of tickets accumulated. The strawberry business in Northwest Arkansas declined with the onset of World War II and also due to the growth of strawberry farming in Texas and California, where the berries ripened and were ready for market long before Ozark berries. Photo courtesy of Ed Tabor • • • Ozark Album is published every Sunday in the Northwest Arkansas Times. If you have a historically interesting photo to share, bring it to the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, 118 W. Johnson Ave. in Springdale. Pictures will be copied and returned. Be sure to include the date the picture was taken, names of the people photographed and any historical information available, as well as your name and phone number. For more information, call 750-8165.
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