Judge Joseph Lewis planted a Mediterranean Sweet Orange seedling near the toll bridge at Bidwell’s Bar, Butte County, California, in 1856. It survived hard times and became the oldest living orange tree in California. From its example and largely from its offspring, a new industry began in a new section hundreds of miles north of a known citrus region; Dr. H.J. Webber, Director of the Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside, called it a true pioneer in 1927. During the construction of Oroville Dam in 1964, the Mother Orange was moved from Bidwell Bar to protect it from inundation.