A Johnny Appleseed-esque tale:Random apple crop could be legacy of RR litter bugs

Thrown out remnants of decades of afternoon snacks are a common sight on the roadways of Whitman County.

A stray apple tree provides a burst of color against the stark steel-and-wood trestle of the old Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad at Tekoa.

Thanks in part to these bygone litterbugs, Whitman County residents every October are treated to a dazzling display of reds, yellows and oranges, as the blossoms of antique apple trees mature into full-blown fruit.

Many point to railroad crews and passengers as the biggest culprits of spreading apple trees throughout the county.

“That’s what we’...