Crate Label: Trout Brand Apple, Leaping Rainbow Trout, Lake Chelan Fruit Growers, Washington, 1950s

A leaping rainbow trout arcs across a deep indigo field on this crate label from one of Washington's most storied apple cooperatives — bold, sporting, and unmistakably Pacific Northwest.

• Brand: Trout
• Produce: Apples
• Packing House / Grower: Lake Chelan Fruit Growers
• Materials: Lithographed paper
• Dimensions: 9 x 10.25 in
• Origin: Chelan, Washington, USA
• Era: 1950s
• Condition: Excellent, New Old Stock — never applied to a crate. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.

This label was lithographed by Ridgway Litho Co. of Seattle and never saw a crate; it's warehouse stock, crisp corners and full color intact, exactly as it left the printer decades ago.

Lake Chelan Fruit Growers was incorporated in 1921 by eight growers along the shores of Lake Chelan, in the heart of Washington's celebrated apple country. The cooperative marketed under the Wenoka Apples trademark, shown here in the arrowhead emblem, while individual brand names like Trout distinguished each grower's fruit on store shelves. The leaping trout artwork nodded to the region's renowned fishing as much as its orchards. Hand-sorted and hand-packed fruit shipped in one-bushel wood boxes with labels like this glued to the ends, a practice that faded as cardboard cartons took over through the 1950s. In 1995, Trout, Inc. merged with Blue Chelan, Inc. to form Trout-Blue Chelan, Inc., which later folded into today's Chelan Fruit Cooperative — but original Trout labels like this one remain a favorite among collectors of Americana and fruit crate art.

A striking centerpiece for a cabin, fishing lodge, or kitchen gallery wall, and an easy gift for anyone who loves vintage advertising art or Pacific Northwest history.

Pairs beautifully with our other Washington State fruit crate labels for a themed collection.