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CHL No. 945 First Successful Introduction of the Honeybee to California - Santa Clara

Guidebook

NO. 945 FIRST SUCCESSFUL INTRODUCTION OF THE HONEYBEE TO CALIFORNIA - Here, on the 1,939-acre Rancho Potrero de Santa Clara, Christopher A. Shelton in early March 1853 introduced the honeybee to California. In Aspinwall, Panama, Shelton purchased 12 beehives from a New Yorker and transported them by rail, 'bongo,' pack mule, and steamship to San Francisco. Only enough bees survived to fill one hive, but these quickly propagated, laying the foundation for California's modern bee-keeping industry.

Location

Airport Boulevard (Mineta San José International Airport - Door 10 of Terminal C)
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NO. 945 FIRST SUCCESSFUL INTRODUCTION OF THE HONEYBEE TO CALIFORNIA - Marker