Fullerton Arboretum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton |
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| Fullerton Arboretum | |
Heritage House in the Arboretum.
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| Type | Public |
| Location | Fullerton, California |
| Nearest city | Fullerton |
| Area | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| Created | 1976 |
| Status | Closed on same holidays observed by CSUF |
The Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton is a 26-acre (11 ha) botanical garden. It is located on the campus of California State University, Fullerton in Fullerton, California. This garden is the largest botanical garden in Orange County. It has over 4,000 different kinds of plants from all over the world.
The Arboretum helps save plant species that are rare or almost gone. It also teaches people about the history of farming. The garden officially opened in 1979. Before that, it was an orange grove that had a plant disease.
A special part of the Arboretum is the Heritage House. This house was built in 1894. It was the home and office of Dr. George C. Clark, an early doctor in Fullerton. In 1972, the house was moved to the middle of the Arboretum.
The garden has paths that lead through four main plant areas. These are the Cultivated, Woodlands, Mediterranean, and Desert Collections. You can see plants native to Southern California here. There is also a Rare Fruit Grove and a large organic vegetable garden. Other cool spots include the historic Citrus and Avocado trees. There's also a Channel Islands Garden and a Children's Garden.
The Arboretum is a great place to learn about the environment. Students and teachers from the university work together here. They do research and share what they learn with people in Orange County.
History of the Arboretum
The idea for the Arboretum started with two doctors, David Walkington and Eugene Jones. They thought of creating a garden on the northern part of the campus. This land used to be an orange grove. The orange trees got sick and died from a disease.
Teri Jones, along with other faculty wives, helped get support for the garden. They formed a group called the Arboretum Committee. This group even won an award for their environmental work.
In 1971, students at Cal State College started giving money for the project. Students and teachers worked together to turn the land into organic gardening plots. They wanted to show how good organic gardening was for the environment. They cut down the old trees and removed their roots.
In 1972, the idea of making the land a botanical garden became official. The Arboretum Society was formed. They started raising money on campus for the garden. They also asked the City of Fullerton for help. The California State University system approved the plan. They set aside 26 acres of land for the garden.
That same year, a group called the Friends of Fullerton Arboretum was created. This group helped raise money for the project. They are a non-profit group and still help the Arboretum today.
In 1976, a company was hired to design the Arboretum. Construction began in October 1977. The project cost $621,000.
The official groundbreaking ceremony was on December 11, 1977. The Arboretum officially opened to the public on October 21, 1979. In 2004, a new visitors' center was built. It has classrooms, a pavilion, and a museum.
Museums at the Arboretum
The Orange County Agricultural and Nikkei Heritage Museum is located inside the Arboretum. This museum shows the history of farming in the area. It also highlights the important contributions of the local Japanese American community. Other early farmers are also featured.
Heritage House is a historic house museum. It is decorated to look like a doctor's home and office from the 1890s. This house is one of the oldest homes still standing from the original town of Fullerton. Dr. George Crook Clark, a pioneer doctor, built the house in 1894. It was moved to the Arboretum campus in 1972 to save it from being torn down. It used to be in the center of Fullerton.
See also
In Spanish: Fullerton Arboretum para niños
- List of botanical gardens in the United States
- North American Plant Collections Consortium
