In the lecture “First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry,” author Linda Ziedrich delves into the roots of the Pacific coast fruit industry and how the Lewelling brothers hauled a wagonload of fruit trees from Iowa in 1847 and planted the first grafted-fruit orchard in Oregon Country. Learn their fascinating history, not just as horticulturists, but also as abolitionists, gold miners, and Quakers-turned-Spiritualists. One attempted to found a utopian colony in Honduras, another helped organize the Grange in California, and the third fought for democratic reforms in Oregon. Spanning the continent and nearly a century, the lives of Henderson, Seth, and John Lewelling provide fresh perspectives on 19th-century westward expansion and Oregon agriculture.
Linda Ziedrich writes about food from garden to table, food in history, and food across cultures. She is the author of several books on food preservation, as well as two books published in 2025: First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry, published by Oregon State University Press, and The Curious Kitchen Gardener, published by Timber Press. She is also the vice president of the Lebanon Museum Foundation, for which she recently conducted an oral history project, and the president of the Linn County Cultural Coalition.
Admission: $10 for Members, $20 for Non-Members