Camphor street trees - Berkeley CA
Description
The Civil Works Administration (CWA) planted 10,000 street trees around Berkeley CA in 1933-34 and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) followed with 5,000 more, c. 1938-39. (Gazette, 3/11/39)
According to the city manager of Berkeley, 15,000 flowering fruit trees had been planted by April 1939 (Gazette, 4/4/1939)
Street tree planting was a major, if unappreciated, aspect of the New Deal.
Determining which trees were planted on which streets is impossible at this point, and most of the trees (particularly short-lived fruit trees) have passed on by this time. Nevertheless, there are several streets, such as Hopkins Street, where elm, camphor and ash trees of the right age (almost a century) still arch over residential streets.
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Article on tree planting, - Berkeley CA
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Article on tree planting, 1934 - Berkeley CA
Source notes
Oakland Tribune, Feb 21, 1934, p 6
San Francisco Examiner, Feb 23, 1934, p 2
"Spring Heralded by Street Trees" Berkeley Gazette, March 11, 1939
"Hours of Work on Projects Tallied," Berkeley Gazette, April 5, 1939 (from notes taken by Gray Brechin in the Bancroft Library,BANC MSS C-A 200, Carton 11)
Project originally submitted by Brent McKee on June 20, 2022.
Additional contributions by Gray Brechin.
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal project site.
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