ORANGE – Was it a poker game or a grander plan that gave the city of Orange its name?

The area today known as Orange was founded in 1871 by two Los Angeles attorneys – Alfred Beck Chapman and Andrew Glassell – and was first named “Richland.” How the city went on to get its current name is somewhat of a juicy tale.

Chapman and Glassell then owned 5,400 acres in what is today’s downtown. Chapman, who later dubbed himself the “Father of Orange,” hired a surveyor to divide the land into tracts of 48, 80 and 120 acres.

By 1872 there were a dozen houses. The first school opened at Sycamore and Lemon streets. Fisher Brothers, the first store, opened on the north side of the plaza. The town’s first civic association, the Orange Grange; and a Methodist/Episcopal church also opened. The plaza, the center of the business district, had a park and a fountain. The small town began to grow around the plaza.

Now it was time to become official. City leaders wanted a post office. They applied as “Richland“ but were denied. There was already a Richland in Sacramento County. To get a post office and have the city mapped, they had to change the name.

The historical story goes that Chapman, Glassell and two others played poker and the player with the winning hand could pick the new name. Part of that tale is included on the city of Orange website. But Orange native and Orange County historian Phil Brigandi calls the poker story bogus.

In his book, “Orange County Place Names A to Z,” Brigandi says the poker story emerged in the 1930s and even then came from a third-hand source.

Brigandi said a possible connection to Glassell’s family living on the Richland Plantation in Orange County, Va., could have been involved. But likely the best evidence, he says, comes from James Guinn, one of the county’s earliest historians, who connects the name to political efforts to create a separate Orange County.

“The town received its name because local officials hoped to make the little city the government seat for the proposed county, which would be named ‘Orange,’” he said.

Orange, the city, consisting of 3.1 square miles, incorporated in 1888 with 600 residents. It was vying for being designated the county seat against Anaheim, incorporated in 1878; and Santa Ana, incorporated in 1886.

Everyone realized that becoming the county seat would bring prominence, population and economic growth to whatever community won the competition.Santa Ana won out since it was able to help the county secede from Los Angeles County in 1889.

“I suspect Orange’s campaign against them for county seat was largely for show. Everyone knew (what) was going to be the county seat by then,” Brigandi said.

With a name like Orange, city officials might have also hoped to take advantage of the countywide marketing campaign promising a “Mediterranean-like climate and lifestyle” that helped draw thousands of residents to the newly formed Orange County (then with a population of 13,589). Orange County and the city of Orange didn’t get their names from the citrus crops.

“There were no citrus trees when the town got its name, but Orange later grew into its name,” Brigandi said.

The city became one of the centers of the local citrus industry and by the 1920s oranges became the city’s premier crop. By 1929, Orange was producing more than $12 million in oranges, with 820,000 boxes of fruit coming from one packinghouse alone.

“Sunkist did an enormous job of marketing the orange nationwide,” said Chris Jepsen, president of the Orange County Historical Society. “It was their idea to convince everyone that orange juice was the way to start the day.”

Throwback Thursday

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Contact the writer: 949-492-5152 or eritchie@ocregister.com or Twitter:@lagunaini