The Pecan Orchard

I discovered this picture of Cliff McCombs on Ancestry, nestled within the Hoye-McCombs Family Tree. In 2017, I reached out to Cliff's granddaughter, and she kindly responded with a bit of information about the image. She shared that in this picture, "Cliff was shaking pecans out of the trees for the pickers to sack and sell in Blackwell, Kay County, Oklahoma." She added that the photo was taken during a break after lunch on a warm autumn day, showing Cliff and some of the pickers' children resting and cracking some of the collected nuts to eat. At the time, Cliff was leasing the farm from Dr. James Grant Ghormley.

During the 1940s and 1950s, pecan farming in Oklahoma saw significant growth, driven by advancements in agricultural equipment and the increasing popularity of pecans in baked goods and candies. In 1940 alone, the state harvested over 12 million pounds of pecans.

Pecan trees were typically grown in orchards, spaced to accommodate both tree growth and equipment operation. As a pecan farmer, Cliff focused on soil management, adding organic matter and fertilizers to maintain the health of his long-living trees. He also carefully pruned the trees to ensure consistent production.

Pecan farming became an increasingly important part of the rural economy in areas like Kay County, providing income for both farmers and seasonal workers. Pecans were marketed as a healthy, locally grown product, with rising demand both domestically and internationally. Many small farms, like the one Cliff operated, depended on seasonal labor to meet the harvest demands.

Harvesting pecans was often a hands-on process. Families and seasonal workers would walk through the orchards, gathering the fallen nuts from the ground. To speed up the process, Cliff used a long pole to shake branches, causing the pecans to fall. By the late 1940s, Cliff likely used a simple mechanical shaker, mounted on a tractor or truck, to shake the trunk or main branches and dislodge the nuts. These early shakers were quite basic, often consisting of chains or vibrators attached to the tree. After the nuts fell, workers would rake them into piles and pack the collected pecans into burlap sacks for transport to Blackwell.

Cliffton Clyde McCombs (1896-1968) was married to Mary Jane Tingley. They spent their entire lives in Grant, Garfield, and Kay Counties, Oklahoma. Mary Jane is my husband's great-grandaunt, the daughter of Jared and Carrie Tingley.