The Fruits of Labor

by Jeff O’Keefe Curator & Collections Manager, Ephraim Historical Foundation

Behind the millions of pounds of cherries harvested from Door County’s orchards every year, there are complex histories. Amongst these oftenuntold histories are stories tied to labor availability, domestic policy, and workers’ rights.

The explosion of the cherry crop in Door County from 1910 to the 1920s saw hundreds of thousands of cherry trees planted across the peninsula. The sheer quantity of fruit to pick quickly outgrew the availability of family and local labor as Door County’s “Cherryland” moniker became known across the country. Door County orchards soon depended upon contracted labor to assist in the harvest every summer. They were first aided by Native American families and camps of young people recruited from cities.

As the United States entered World War II in late 1941, the decrease of labor available domestically led to questions regarding the resources needed to harvest the crops that would fuel the war effort. Two programs were established to help provide farms with the labor they needed to maximize production. The Mexican Farm Labor Agreement, or Bracero Program, focused on negotiations between Mexico and the U.S., bringing in millions of workers between 1942 and 1964 while outlining protections regarding wages and working conditions. Unfortunately, these agreements fell short as workers were subjected to substandard living conditions and discrimination. The Emergency Farm Labor Program assigned the State Extension Services of the Department of Agriculture with recruiting and placing domestic and foreign laborers. Together these programs brought several thousand workers to Wisconsin, including people of Jamaican, Mexican, Barbadian, Bahamian, and Honduran nationalities, and even German and Italian POWs. Orchards throughout Door County relied heavily on these programs throughout the war and beyond. With only 80 foreign workers placed in 1943, the numbers quickly surged to over 1,200 in both 1944 and 1945, with the peak population of foreign workers in Door County hitting almost 2,500 in 1946. This peak year coincided with the largest harvest of cherries in the state – 40 million pounds of fruit picked, creating $5.2 million in farm value, with 60% of the harvesting done by foreign laborers.

While the Emergency Farm Labor Program was terminated in 1948, the Bracero Program continued with a variety of agreements between the U.S. and Mexico to supply migrant laborers until 1964. The Wisconsin State Employment Service (WSES) regained the responsibility of placing domestic and foreign laborers in the state following World War II. The WSES continued to assist orchards throughout the 1950s, bringing in up to 10,000 migrant workers a year at the peak of the cherry industry.

As you enjoy our cherries and cherry orchards, know you are enjoying the fruits of hard, often overlooked labor.