Fort Vancouver
Cultural Landscape Report
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APPENDIX E: ORCHARD PLANT LIST AND CHRONOLOGY

Historic references to fruit trees usually did not differentiate between locations in the garden or orchard. The following list includes any references to fruit trees: if known, the location is noted. Documentation suggests there were mainly apples, peaches and pears in the orchard).

DATE TYPE OF PLANT NOTES OR SOURCES
ca. 1826—27 apples Carried over in a gentleman's' vest pocket from London.
1828 "some small apple trees"
1829 3 peach trees

applies
To McLoughlin from Francis A. Lemont, apprentice on the "Owyhee", from the Islands of San Juan Fernandez near Chile.
1832 apples, peaches (N. Wyeth, John Ball, George Allan) Producing by 1832 so probably planted ca. 1829.
1833 apples (N. Wyeth, William Tolmie)
1834 apples, peaches, pears (Jason Lee, J.K. Townsend) The word "orchard" first mentioned. Jason Lee—"The orchard is young, but the quantity is so great that many of the branches would break if they were not prevented by props."
1835 apples, peaches, oranges, lemons, figs (Rev. Samuel Parker)
1836—1839 The orchard delineated on 1844 map probably began during this time.
1836 apples, peaches, plums, figs, citrons, oranges, lemons, Cherries, pears, pomegranates (Henry Spalding)
1838 apples (William Tolmie)
1839
Capt. E. Belcher noted among other plants (see garden list), apples, plums and peaches. He may have been referring to the Willamette Valley.

In Sept. gardener William Bruce, brought out "under glass" a number of fruit trees from Joseph Paxton at Chiswick.
1841 Pyrus malus, apple; Pyrus communis, pear; Vitis vinifera, "Amygdalus persica, peach; Armeniaca vulgaris, apricot; Prunus domestica, European plum; Prunus cerasus, European or Common garden cherry;

apples

nectarines (William Brackenridge)
List from Charles Pickering's notes on Brackenridge's reports—he also noted: "a well conducted garden. . . The original packages of seeds were brought, some by sea, but chiefly overland from Montreal."

Brackenridge observed: "The Apple Trees bore a remarkable heavy crop of fruit. . . there were from 4 to 500 of these in a bearing state. . ."
1842
William Tolmie on leave in England, requests permission "to take for the Vancouver Garden a box 4 feet x 2 containing grafts of choice Peach, Apricot, Pear, Plum, and Cherry trees prepared for me by a friend in Glasgow." No record, to date, of the box being sent or received.
1844 apples Northern half of orchard burned in September fire. Also northwest corner of garden fence. Although the fence was rebuilt, it appears this area of the orchard was never replanted.
1845 apples, peaches, pears (Thomas Lowe) "the garden abounds with these fruits"
1846 apples (Thomas Lowe)
1851
Peter Skene Ogden providing cuttings for American farmers in the Willamette Valley.
1854 80 fruit trees Recorded on 1854 list of Company's improvements, valued at $20 each. It appears most of these were in the garden.
1858
The orchard fence was partially removed by the military.
Also, army recruits "devastated" the orchard and garden.
1860
The garden or "orchard" as it was called then, was four acres at time of HBC departure.


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Last Updated: 27-Oct-2003