County apple varieties extinct?

David Benscoter of Chatteroy loves apples. And because of his passion for the famous fruit from Washington, he is on a mission.

As he was pruning a 100-year-old orchard near Chatteroy for a friend, he became curious about the varieties of apples the orchard contained. He began researching old apple varieties.

For the past six years, Benscoter has researched extinct apples that were prominent in Whitman County in the early 1900s. His research lead him to discover such varieties as the “Palouse,” “Lankford,” “Walbridge,” “Deneen” and “Whitman.”

“Although I have, in the past, confined my research to old apple orchards, I was eager to take on the challenge of trying to locate these old varieties in Whitman County,” Benscoter said.

The “Palouse” apple is the only apple recorded as having been discovered in Whitman County, according to Benscoter.

The Palouse, introduced in 1889 by George Ruedy of Colfax, gained prominence not only in the county, but as far away as New York, Benscoter said. The apple was described as red with yellow undertones and its flesh was crisp, tender, juicy and aromatic, according to Benscoter.

Benscoter said that according to a Washington history book, Ruedy purchased what had been the first orchard ever planted north of the Snake River in 1880, including fruit trees planted prior to and during 1872. Four years later, he sold this orchard, located on 14 acres northwest of Colfax and moved into Colfax.

Ruedy opened a nursery next to the Colfax Gazette building and he also owned 14 acres of orchard on the west side of Colfax. Benscoter said that Ruedy grew more than 100 varieties of fruit and nuts.

“Ruedy was as much a researcher and experimenter as he was a nurseryman,” Benscoter said. “It seems likely his nursery was the source of the many unusual and now extinct, apples grown in Whitman County at this time,” he said.

Benscoter said he found in another history book that Ruedy sold his first orchard to William H. Henderson in 1883.

“As researching and visiting ancient orchards is a hobby of mine, I reviewed a copy of the Colfax Gazette from Oct. 9, 1907,” he said. “As I skimmed through the newspaper, I came across an article that listed award winners from the local Whitman County fair.”

Reading through the winners in the apple category, he said he recognized many old apple varieties including McIntosh, Rome Beauty and Gravenstein.

“However, I did not recognize some of the other names of the apple winners. I pulled out several apple resource books and discovered that three of the varieties, the ‘Lankford,’ ‘Walbridge’ and ‘Babbitt’ apples, were now considered extinct in the world as no tree of that variety is known to still be alive,” he said.

“Although most of these standard or full-size trees can live 75 years or longer, time is running out to find these extinct trees as most were planted more than 100 years ago,” he said.

The Lankford apple had only been submitted to the fair by one person, F.W. Huffman.

Benscoter found, however, the Walbridge apple was submitted by two people, Huffman and William Henderson.

Using the internet, Benscoter reviewed cemetery records, census reports and family tree information.

“Although the apples had been submitted to the Whitman County fair in 1907, I was able to locate and interview two relatives who were able to identify both the person who submitted each apple and also the orchard the apple most likely came from,” he said.

Erwin Hall, 77, of Steptoe, told Benscoter that F.W. Huffman was most likely his uncle, Floyd Huffman. Floyd was around 17 years old and living at his parent’s home when he submitted the apple to the fair. Hall was able to point out the exact location of the abandoned homestead near Steptoe, still surrounded by some apple trees.

Joe Henderson, 88, provided information about William Henderson’s orchard and homestead, Benscoter said. Henderson explained that William Henderson was most likely his grandfather’s brother.

“When our senior citizens are gone, so is their knowledge of these ancient apple varieties,” Benscoter said.

After learning that a William Henderson had submitted apples to the 1907 Whitman County fair, Joe spoke with his mother, 106-year-old Ruth Henderson. Ruth said she was told that at one time the property had 1,500 fruit trees. She was last on the property in 1924, but the property is no longer in the Henderson family. Joe Henderson pointed out the exact location of the Henderson homestead to Benscoter and said it still has living apple trees on the property.

“Now that the two orchards that may contain the extinct apples have been located, there is still much work to be done,” Benscoter said.

A rediscovered apple must be “vetted,” or proved to be what it’s supposed to be, he said. The process can take as long as 10 years.

Several steps have been completed already. The current property owners have been contacted and are cooperating to help identify the trees, Benscoter said.

He contacted an expert on heirloom apple trees who will be in charge of the vetting process.

Benscoter said this spring, each orchard will be mapped and pictures will be taken of the blossoms of all the apple trees.

Then this fall, apples will be collected from the trees and unknown varieties will be shipped to an expert in apple identification.

The list of county fair award winners from a 1907 Colfax Gazette also listed two apples that have never been recorded and are believed to be known only locally. One apple, called “Deneen,” was submitted by Upton Eugene Cronk, described as “an enterprising farmer” in a history book, Benscoter said.

Another apple, the “Whitman,” was submitted by two people: Frank Newton English, a teacher and president of English’s Collegiate Academy in Colfax and Ira Vern Moller.

In the census of 1900, Benscoter found that Moller stated his occupation was an “orchardist.”

“However, the most interesting thing about the 1900 census report was the identity of someone who lived with Moller,” Benscoter said. “Listed as a ‘boarder’ at Moller’s farm was none other than George Ruedy, discoverer of the Palouse apple.”

To establish the Deneen and Whitman apples as new apple varieties, a process similar to the vetting of rediscovered apples will take place. If they can be proven to be new varieties, they may join the Palouse as heritage apples.

“If I find an apple that we don’t know about, if we determine a tree that produces those apples, I’ll take graftings, or small branches, and graft the trees,” Benscoter said.

Eventually, Benscoter would like to see the old varieties of apples growing on new trees.