Rediscovering and Rehabilitating a Historic Orchard

Crooked River National Grassland is more than earth and sky; it is a land steeped in history that whispers to passersby. Observant locals have long heard this call and noted clusters of unusual trees tucked on the hillsides across the grasslands, including in the foothills of Grey Butte near Culver. Surviving more than 120 years, the trees are a rare grove of fruit trees that persist in what is known as the Enoch Cyrus orchard, a remnant of the Cyrus homestead settled in the 1880s. [Photo above of Matt Cyrus]

Taking a bite of one of the apples that ripen in this orchard might be like tasting time itself, a shared experience eating an apple from the same tree that Enoch Cyrus did 130 years ago.

“These orchards are a unique blend of natural heritage, cultural memory and resilience; they evoke a zen that brings people together for a common cause,” said Carolyn “CJ” Johnson, founder of In-Cahoots Heirloom Apple Collaborative and one of the residents leading the charge to draw attention to these early orchards.

The fruit trees are modern day denizens from the cusp of a period known as the age of fruit diversification and migration (1801-1880), an era in American agricultural history typified by the transition from wild seedling orchards associated with icons like Johnny Appleseed to the development of varieties with more commercial potential. Before the Honeycrisp and Red Delicious apples found on grocery shelves today came hundreds of heirloom varieties used for drying, eating and cider making, important elements in the livelihoods of families on the Western frontier.

Heritage Apples Link Past to Present

The genetic diversity of apples is extensive. Apples are “not true to seed,” meaning the seeds in the apple you eat do not grow a tree that produces the same type of apple. The apples in the Cyrus orchard tease an imagination with names such as Yellow Transparent, Blue Pearmain, Northern Spy and Red Astrachan. But they aren’t the only varieties in the orchard. Genetic testing has identified a number of trees that do not share all of the genetic markers of any documented varieties of apple—meaning they may very well be one-of-a-kind trees that exist nowhere else on earth. Duane Ecker, a retired Forest Service silviculturist who first noticed the trees more than 20 years ago, shared how important it is to protect and maintain these apples for generations to come. “If we lose them, we have lost the genetic source of these varieties,” he said.

In 2023, a dedicated group of fruit lovers rallied around these tenacious trees that had survived without attention, determined not only to fortify the orchard remnants, but preserve the heritage varieties and share their story with the community. The U.S. Forest Service and In-Cahoots Heirloom Apple Collaborative hosted workdays to clear brush from the orchards and undertook genetic testing to identify fruit varieties. In 2025, they partnered with The School of Ranch to create the Heritage Apple Corps.

The Heritage Apple Corps recently hosted a workday with the descendants of the Cyrus family and secured financial support from Discover Your Forest to lead restorative efforts and rejuvenate the surviving trees. “These orchards are living histories,” Forest Service botanist said Maddy Shriver said, “connecting people to their community’s past.

See more at School of Ranch Heritage Apple Corps.