Oakley’s known for many crops, but when’s the last time you drove past a peach orchard? This month’s History Mystery Postcard is an unsent, divided-back, lithotint color postcard from the 20th century. The card features workers in an orchard, and drying racks for cut peaches. The caption at the top of the card reads “Drying Peaches, Oakley, Cal.”

For this month’s mystery, Historian Carol Jensen would like to know where the orchard and drying shed were located. “Perhaps the photographer took liberties with identifying the location as Oakley – not an uncommon practice,” Jensen said. “Who owns this orchard and are the farmer’s family members in the image? The use of a horse and wagon gives us a clue to the era. No diesel tractors or Ford trucks here.

“The reverse of the card gives us some clues. It appears to be a sample postcard used for marketing postcard printing services. Note the advertisement on the back.”

The advertisement reads “LITHOTINT, 1 M Editions Only, DELIVERY 5 TO 6 WEEKS, COMMERCIAL COLORTYPE CO., 29 RIVER ST. CHICAGO, ILL.” The logo also provides information. The Maltese cross with a circle in the center is a symbol of the Templar.

Additional clues help identify the card-printing era. “We can narrow the printing date to the period between 1873 and 1943, when ‘CAL’ was the preferred USPO abbreviation for California,” said Jensen. “Divided-back cards providing a space for both address and message are approved by the USPO for use on March 1, 1907. ”

The prize for information leading to the date, location and property ownership of this peach orchard and drying operation is a copy of “East Contra Costa County,” an Arcadia Postcard Series publication.

E-mail your discoveries to Jensen at historian@byronhotsprings.com. All History Mystery updates are archived with the East Contra Costa Historical Society.