A Fruitful Conversation About Home
Wynne, Arkansas, may not be known for many things these days. Most people don’t even know the little town forty minutes from Memphis, and Jonesboro exists. However, the home of the YellowJackets has quite a history in Eastern Arkansas.
Wynne is the county seat of Cross County, Arkansas, and this makes it very important to the economic development of Eastern Arkansas. Way back in the day, Cross County and Saint Francis County, the county directly south of Cross, were the biggest producers of peaches in the United States.
Although some other industries in the county also played a factor in the economic development of Cross County and Wynne—mainly railroads in the World War II era. However, agriculture has always been a considerable employer in my hometown. However, most of Cross County today is dominated by rice, soybeans, and sweet potatoes. Following the Civil War, peaches and many other fruits and vegetables were planted across the state to stop the overharvesting of cotton. For the areas containing Crowley’s Ridge, primarily Cross County and Saint Francis County, peaches came to town as the sandy, elevated soil was prime grounds for peach trees.
The story I will tell today is of the Caubble family. Jack Caubble is the last remaining Caubble in the area, with a few sons and nephews scattered outside Wynne. I had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Mr. Caubble, and what he had to say was nothing short of enlightening about the rich history of my hometown’s roots.
My conversation with Mr. Caubble proved fruitful for my quest to discover the economic implications of peaches back home. He said, “the place where I live now, my dad bought. My grandfather helped him in 1954,” but later, he mentioned that his grandfather had owned the property and orchard across the road. He also told me that his grandfather started the peach business in 1925 with a loan from the bank for $250. Jack was not shy to say, “in the summer, peaches were one of the biggest employers in the area. From harvest to intermodal and railroad transportation, peaches paid everyone’s bills.
One of the biggest customers for the peaches of Eastern Arkansas was Gerber the baby food company. Gerber pulling their contract and the big frost of 1985 would push many people out of business, but not the Caubbles. They’re still standing, and with his remaining 350 trees, Jack Caubble says he will “continue to do this for as long as God keeps him here.”
Hartness, R. L. (2022, November 1). Cross County. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved March 1,
2023, from https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/cross-county-763/
Jackson, J. W. (2022, November 3). Peach Industry. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved March 1,
2023, from https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/peach-industry-2099/
Stark Bros. (n.d.). Choosing a location for peach trees - stark bro's. Stark Bro's Nurseries &
Orchards Co. Retrieved March 1, 2023, from https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/how-
to-grow/fruit-trees/peach-
trees/location#:~:text=Peach%20trees%20thrive%20when%20growing,fungal%20issues%20
rom%20taking%20hold.
Welcome to your county/parish SponsoredOnline Public Record Resource. actDataScout. (n.d.).
Retrieved March 1, 2023, from https://www.actdatascout.com/Map/Single#
Believe it or not I have heard of Wynne, as well as been through there a few times. It’s hard to believe that the majority of the jobs in Wynne in the early days were peach farms. I guess I have always associated peaches with Georgia. Probably sounds a little stereotypical, I know. Next time I am that direction I will definitely be able to imagine the peach farms in the area. This was a very informative post, and I hope to hear about Wynne more in other posts!
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