06/07/2026
From the Clackamas County Historical Society
Seth Lewelling is buried in Milwaukie Pioneer Cemetery next to the land that was once one of his orchards. His brother, Henderson Lewelling brought the first grafted fruit trees to Oregon. In 1847, a specially-outfitted wagon with at least six oxen hauled the 700 trees from Iowa to Oregon on the Overland Trail.
Fewer than half of these nursery trees survived the trail, but those apple, pear, peach, plum, and cherry trees that lived were soon planted and rooted in Oregon soil. The Lewellings pioneered the fruit industry in Oregon and along the Pacific Coast. The Bing cherry was grafted in one of Seth Lewelling’s orchards. It is named for his foreman, Ah Bing, a Chinese immigrant.
The Lewellings’ story is the subject of the book: First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry. Author Linda Ziedrich will talk about her book on Thursday, June 11 at 7 pm at the Museum of the Oregon Territory as part of the Museum’s Look Back series.
The Lewelling brothers were not just planters, horticulturists and grafters. They were also liberal reformers who advocated for women’s rights and were fiercely anti-slavery.
Some of the Lewellings also pursued more radical ideas, such as spiritualism. Henderson Lewelling even tried to start a free love commune in Honduras.
The talk is open to the public. The lecture is $10 for museum members and $20 for non-members. For more information, visit our website at clackamashistory.org
