The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1920-02-07


County Pioneer Association
The letter of Jacob A Meyers
which appeared in the Examiner of
January 81, which. appears to carry
a touch of criticism of the story of
the coming to the Pacific coast of
the first apple tree, no doubt was in
tend to illumine the local history
of the important industry of horti-
culture which found its beginning at
Vancouver, Washington, little less
than 100 years ago. Controversies
of this character should not be dis
couraged but, on the contrary, well
coined in order that the truth, as
little warped as possible, may ap-
propriately grace the pages of his
tory when finally and permanently
written. The birth Of the apple at
Vancouver about the year 1925 has
not been successfully contradicted.
To follow it then in its circuitous
route into the wilds of Stevens coun-
ty is the job of task master.
Of the many people who lived in
Stevens county during the SOS, John
Hickey of Colville and Ben Burgun
der Of Colfax have much reason TO
observe the footsteps of local pro-
gress, and in a measure they modi-
fy the chronicle of recollection of NJ.
Meyers in some particulars. They
are agreed upon the fact made known
to them by personal observation, that
Henry Koch pronounced Cook) was
the first to plant the apple in Ste
vens county. He sent to Washing
ton city for apple seeds, and re-
ceived and planted them in the
spring of 1864, on a tract of land
owned then by John Probell west Of
the railway track where Pinkston
creek debouches from the mountains.
Koch, who was an eX-soldier from
the 9th infantry stationed at Fort
Colvile, had been, in his time, a
nurseryman, and after his discharge
"went partners" with Probel on the
Marcus ranch. His inclination to
horticulture brought the first apple
tree to Stevens county. Koch soon
tired of pioneering and left the coun-
try and Probell soon after died.
Captain A. T. Pingston afterwards
owned the ranch and cut the Koch
seedlings back and grated known
varieties in the remaining trunks of
the original tres.
Both Mr. Burgunder and Mr.. Rick
ey, who have good reasons to know,
are also agreed that the first or
chard planted from nursery or graft
ed stock was that of Mr.. Hickey in
the Columbia river valley a few miles
below Kettle Falls, and the second
orchard of the kind by the late Geo.
w. Harvey only few miles further
down the Columbia river. Walla
Walla had then been discovered as
nursery town. and in the years i'm
mediately following many orchards
were planted in trees freighted over
land from that city. These incl
dents relate to Stevens county in
its present boundaries. Until 1879
the county of Stevens included Spo-
kane, Okanogan, Ferry, Douglas,
Grant, Lincoln and Pend Oreille coun-
ties, and in this vast area fruit trees
were planted much earlier than those
already referred to.
Antoine Plant who operated a fer
ry on the Spokane river above the
city of Spokane short distance, is
credited with having seeding apple
tree upon his place that was bear
ing in 1869. At that time the tree
appeared to be at least Is years old.
Plant was a Canadian an-Frenchman,
who married an Indian woman and
was living at the Spokane ferry ear
lier than 1850 My information is that
Plants daughter married Thomas
Stensgar, who was farmer for the
Hudson Bay company at Marcus in
the early '40s, and he knew of no
fruit tpees up to that time having
been planted by his company in
eastern Washington, although he had
been with them for many years, had
superintended the cutting OF their
hay from the wild lands of the Col
vile flats, and had planted the entire
Marcus flats in corn which yielded a
fine crop about the year
Thomas Stehsgar located on tract
of land one mile west Of Addy IN
1852, where he died about 20 years
ago. His widow followed him about
a year ago. Really the Hudson Bay
company never engaged in agrlcul-
ture more extensively than was nee
essary to supply present needs.
It's chief business was to trap for
furs. Recognizing, however, that