McCoin Upper
| McCoin Upper | |
|---|---|
| Location | CRNG, OCHOCO NF |
| Tree Count | 31 |
| Species | 22 apple,9 pear |
| Varieties | 16 identified |
The McCoin Upper orchard contains 31 documented heritage fruit trees.
History
The McCoin orchard was established by Julius and Sarah Osborn McCoin, who homesteaded this site on the southeast flank of Gray Butte in the spring of 1886, at the head of a gully with a good spring. Julius set up as a freighter between Prineville and The Dalles (and sometimes Shaniko), driving big 12-horse wagons loaded with wool, meat, hides and other produce going out, and merchandise coming back.
According to family tradition, Julius began returning home with fruit-tree starts (presumably from The Dalles) to plant in the protected gully below his house, until his orchard numbered over 100 trees (apples, pears, plums, etc.), of which over 70 survive today spread between the upper and lower orchard sites.
In the winter of 1886, while Julius was off on one of his freight runs, Sarah McCoin died suddenly, leaving three of their children still at home—Minnie (9), Ella (8), and Walter (4). Taking stock of his family's predicament, Julius decided that, with Minnie in charge, his kids had gumption enough to run the ranch during his absences, sometimes for up to two weeks, and in fact he never re-married.
When the McCoin property was sold in the early 1930s to the National Grasslands/"Relocation"/Marginal Lands program, the house and buildings were torn down and the orchard abandoned. In the 1970s, two USFS/National Grasslands range specialists, Duane Ecker and Harry Ketrenos, rescued the surviving trees by systematically pruning them and cleaning out brush.
Varieties Identified
Historical variety identifications from the 2012 Home Orchard Society survey include:
- Winesap
- Olympia Baldwin (including the "Letter Tree" at #16)
- Wagoner
- Dyer
- Red Astrachan
- Collins
- White Pippin
- Melon
- Wealthy
Sources: Jefferson County Historical Society "The Agate" Spring 2015; Duane Ecker field notes 2001; Home Orchard Society/Apple Detective notes 2012
Primary Sources
The following historical documents are available:
- Duane Ecker field notes (2001)
- Jefferson County Historical Society article (2015)
- Orchard map (2012)
Orchard Map
| Condition | Count |
|---|---|
| Good | 19 |
| Fair | 3 |
| Poor | 7 |
| Dead | 2 |
| Total | 31 |
Trees
Good Condition
- Tree #37(good)
- Tree #38(good)
- Tree #39(good)
- Tree #40- White Winter Pearmain(poor)
- Tree #41- White Winter Pearmain(poor)
- Tree #42- Lawver(good)
- Tree #43- Lawver(good)
- Tree #44- Lawver(good)
- Tree #45- Lawver(fair)
- Tree #46- Fameuse(good)
- Tree #47- Fameuse(poor)
- Tree #48- Esopus Spitzenburg(poor)
- Tree #49- Red Astrachan(good)
- Tree #50- Yellow Newtown/Newtown Pippin(poor)
- Tree #51- Unique Trees(dead)
- Tree #52- Red Astrachan(poor)
- Tree #53- Unique Trees(good)
- Tree #54(good)
- Tree #55(good)
- Tree #56(dead)
- Tree #57(fair)
- Tree #58(good)
- Tree #59(good)
- Tree #60(good)
- Tree #61(good)
- Tree #62(good)
- Tree #63- Black Twig(good)
- Tree #64- Baldwin(good)
- Tree #65- Winesap(fair)
- Tree #66- Winesap(good)
- Tree #67(poor)
Fair Condition
- Tree #37(good)
- Tree #38(good)
- Tree #39(good)
- Tree #40- White Winter Pearmain(poor)
- Tree #41- White Winter Pearmain(poor)
- Tree #42- Lawver(good)
- Tree #43- Lawver(good)
- Tree #44- Lawver(good)
- Tree #45- Lawver(fair)
- Tree #46- Fameuse(good)
- Tree #47- Fameuse(poor)
- Tree #48- Esopus Spitzenburg(poor)
- Tree #49- Red Astrachan(good)
- Tree #50- Yellow Newtown/Newtown Pippin(poor)
- Tree #51- Unique Trees(dead)
- Tree #52- Red Astrachan(poor)
- Tree #53- Unique Trees(good)
- Tree #54(good)
- Tree #55(good)
- Tree #56(dead)
- Tree #57(fair)
- Tree #58(good)
- Tree #59(good)
- Tree #60(good)
- Tree #61(good)
- Tree #62(good)
- Tree #63- Black Twig(good)
- Tree #64- Baldwin(good)
- Tree #65- Winesap(fair)
- Tree #66- Winesap(good)
- Tree #67(poor)
Poor Condition
- Tree #37(good)
- Tree #38(good)
- Tree #39(good)
- Tree #40- White Winter Pearmain(poor)
- Tree #41- White Winter Pearmain(poor)
- Tree #42- Lawver(good)
- Tree #43- Lawver(good)
- Tree #44- Lawver(good)
- Tree #45- Lawver(fair)
- Tree #46- Fameuse(good)
- Tree #47- Fameuse(poor)
- Tree #48- Esopus Spitzenburg(poor)
- Tree #49- Red Astrachan(good)
- Tree #50- Yellow Newtown/Newtown Pippin(poor)
- Tree #51- Unique Trees(dead)
- Tree #52- Red Astrachan(poor)
- Tree #53- Unique Trees(good)
- Tree #54(good)
- Tree #55(good)
- Tree #56(dead)
- Tree #57(fair)
- Tree #58(good)
- Tree #59(good)
- Tree #60(good)
- Tree #61(good)
- Tree #62(good)
- Tree #63- Black Twig(good)
- Tree #64- Baldwin(good)
- Tree #65- Winesap(fair)
- Tree #66- Winesap(good)
- Tree #67(poor)
Dead Condition
- Tree #37(good)
- Tree #38(good)
- Tree #39(good)
- Tree #40- White Winter Pearmain(poor)
- Tree #41- White Winter Pearmain(poor)
- Tree #42- Lawver(good)
- Tree #43- Lawver(good)
- Tree #44- Lawver(good)
- Tree #45- Lawver(fair)
- Tree #46- Fameuse(good)
- Tree #47- Fameuse(poor)
- Tree #48- Esopus Spitzenburg(poor)
- Tree #49- Red Astrachan(good)
- Tree #50- Yellow Newtown/Newtown Pippin(poor)
- Tree #51- Unique Trees(dead)
- Tree #52- Red Astrachan(poor)
- Tree #53- Unique Trees(good)
- Tree #54(good)
- Tree #55(good)
- Tree #56(dead)
- Tree #57(fair)
- Tree #58(good)
- Tree #59(good)
- Tree #60(good)
- Tree #61(good)
- Tree #62(good)
- Tree #63- Black Twig(good)
- Tree #64- Baldwin(good)
- Tree #65- Winesap(fair)
- Tree #66- Winesap(good)
- Tree #67(poor)
