Oregonscape

AT AN OREGON MINT FARM in about 1920, workers stage harvested mint (also known as hay) before steam-distilling it. The photo is credited to the Drake Bros. Photo Studio, based in Silverton, Oregon, from 1900 until June Drake, one of the studio's co-founders, retired in 1960. While the exact location of this photograph is unknown, based on the subject and location of the studio, it was likely taken somewhere in Marion County.

OHS Research Library, Org. Lot 678, Drake 107

THE MINT INDUSTRY in Oregon took root during World War I as the conflict interrupted previously reliable sources of herbs and herbal extracts from Europe — and some newspaper accounts boasted that the state's mint was more prolific and superior in quality to other states' crops. Mint growers in Oregon during that time were based primarily in the Willamette Valley, with Albany as an unofficial hub. The crop was typically processed soon after harvest, and many farmers operated stills on their land in order to extract the oils, which were easier to store and sell.

The image above shows the hoist and pulley system, which were used to transfer the crop into large vats where heat and water were introduced for a process known as steam distillation. The steam and oils were forced out through a condenser, and when separated from the water, the oil was siphoned off. Farmers then used the cooked hay as fertilizer or feed. Mint farmers continued to establish themselves in Oregon throughout the 1920s, but by the 1950s, peppermint wilt disease started to impact the industry — an issue growers continue to struggle with today.