The purpose of this website is to broadly share and disseminate information about the history of apple orchards, growers, and cooperatives in the Methow Valley (including Winthrop, Twisp, and Carlton), Brewster, and Bridgeport, with a special focus on the towns of Pateros and Methow. It is important to note that without a doubt, this history is incomplete. Although an audacious goal is to try and capture all the known history of the apple industry in this region of north-central Washington, that goal is likely out of reach. Too many generations of families have come and gone, their apple orchards have been planted and removed, and their stories – each of their own personal experiences planting, growing, picking, packing, and shipping – are now distant memories, if not lost.

My sincere hope is that the information presented here is simply interesting, accurate, and helpful. It is also a living website, so-to-speak, in that I hope to continually add content as I learn about information from a variety of sources, and hopefully each of you! To that end, please feel free to reach out and contact me with any additions, or corrections to information you would feel comfortable sharing.

email: cylerc [at] gmail [dot] com

Acknowledgements & Further Research

There are many, many individuals that I owe my gratitude and thanks to for their assistance in this research project. In some cases, this included pointing me towards local residents to call or sharing references and sources of further information. In all cases, I am enormously grateful. A special thanks to my own family, including all of the Jess descendants, for your help (you know who you are!), and to Joan Brownlee, Clara Hull and Sue Naumes for their support. My sincerest thank you to (alphabetized by first name) Amanda Van Lanen, Ana Trejo at the Pateros Library, Anna Spencer at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center, Barry George at the Okanogan County Historical Society, Bob Price, Bob Tonseth, Cass Gebbers, Chuck Borg, Colleen Muller, Darrel Verbeck, Dale Zahn, Doug Riddle, Eileen Price and the Washington State Historical Society, Eric Zahn, Françoise Sweeney at the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Greg and Tamara Rovang, Horace Smith, Jack Pheasant, Joanna Bastian, John Baule at the Yakima Valley Museum, John Gaudette, John Monroe, Karen Annis, Kasey Koski at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center, Kelsey Doncaster, Kevin Stennes, Lisa Oberg at the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections, Mark Stennes, the Minnesota State Historical Society, Mike Doty, Pat Jacobsen, Pete Bolinger, Rich Kimura, Shanta Gervickas, Shawna Annis, Stephanie Younie, Suzanne Perin and Sharon Sumpter at the Shafer Historical Museum, Terry Beneze and Claudia Wells, and Thomas Hull.

Finally, if you are interested in learning more about the apple history of Pateros, the Methow Valley, and north-central Washington, I highly encourage you to visit the following:

The Pateros Museum, Pateros, WA

“Reflections on Pateros” Documentary created by the town of Pateros, WA

Methow Valley Interpretive Center, Twisp, WA

Shafer Historical Museum, Winthrop, WA

Chelan Museum, Chelan, WA

Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center, Wenatchee, WA

Yakima Valley Museum, Yakima, WA

Okanogan County Historical Society, Okanogan, WA

Washington State Historical Society, Tacoma, WA

References

Aside from newspaper articles cited and referenced directly in-text, the following list of citations refer back to the number in parentheses cited within each heading of this website:

(1) Wenatchee Commercial Club. 1910. An Informative Summary for the Homeseeker and Investor Concerning the World’s Champion Apple Growing District in the Upper Columbia River Basin, Consisting of the Wenatchee, Entiat, Chelan, Methow, and Okanogan Valleys. Wenatchee, WA.

(2) Portman, Salley. 2002. The Smiling Country (2nd Edition): A History of the Methow Valley. Winthrop: Sun Mountain Valley Resorts Inc.

(3) McLean, Kit, and Karen West. 2009. Bound for the Methow. Winthrop: Shafer Historical Museum.

(4) Women in Agriculture – Deb Stennes. Chelan Fresh. https://chelanfresh.com/women-in-agriculture-deb-stennes/

(5) Vi Lemons remembers the family businesses, orchards and trucking. Quad City Herald, March 13, 2009.

(6) History. City of Pateros website: https://web.archive.org/web/20190701060438/http://pateros.com:80/index.php/history/

(7) Methow Valley News, Friday, August 12, 1904.

(8) Five generations, 100 years in business for Crane Family Orchards. Quad City Herald, April 29, 2009.

(9) Pacific Rose apple shines at Crane Family Orchards. The Produce News, January 18, 2019.

(10) John Daniel Gebbers, 1930-2014 Obituary. Good Fruit Grower, October 31, 2014.

(11) Gathering Our Voice: Interview with Philip and Joan Brownlee, October 5, 2010. Initiative for Rural Innovation & Stewardship, www.gatheringourvoice.org

(12) The Packer, August 9, 1930. John Larrabee Again Tops Market With His Winesap Apples.

(13) Rufener, W.W. 1939. Fruit Trees in the Wenatchee-Okanogan District, Washington. State College of Washington, Agricultural Experiment Station, Pullman, WA.

(14) Chapter II: Age and Variety of Washington Fruit Trees. 1949. In Washington Crop and Livestock Reporting Service.

(15) Van Lanen, A.L. 2022. The Washington Apple: Orchards and the Development of Industrial Agriculture. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK.

(16) Baule, John A., Delmar Bice and Cora B. Marcus. 2006. The Ultimate Fruit Label Book. Schiffer Publishing Ltd.  

(17) Jacobsen, Pat. 2000. Washington State Apple Crate Labels. Self-Published.

(18) Why Beebe Apples are Better Wenatchee-Beebe Orchard Co., Beebe, Washington. 1925. Minneapolis, Minnesota.

(19) Minnesota Historical Society, Presidents Subject Files, Presidents Records. Great Northern Railway Company Records, File 7757 (Correspondence, Notes and Maps).

(20) Interview with Horace Smith and Stephanie Younie, April 8, 2024.

(21) Wilson, Bruce. 2009. Late Frontier A History of Okanogan County Washington. Okanogan County Heritage 48(1).

(22) Pacific Northwest Carlot Apple Shippers and Their Brands. Better Fruit, August 1928.

(23) Shupe, June Wright. 1979. A Mini History of Pateros, Washington and The Graduating Class of 1939: A Memory Book Compiled for our 40th Class Reunion. Manuscript on file at the Pateros Library, Pateros, WA.

(24) About. Starr Ranch Growers. https://starranch.com/about/

(25) Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Pateros, Okanogan County, Washington. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C. (accessed virtually).

(26) Bright, Al C. 1988. Apples Galore! The History of the Apple Industry in the Wenatchee Valley. Directed Media Inc., Wenatchee, WA.