Clackamas County Historical Society

Home
United States
Oregon City, OR
Clackamas County Historical Society

Clackamas County Historical Society (CCHS), in Oregon City, Oregon, is a nonprofit regional educational institution. Visit us at: www.clackamashistory.org

Since 1952, CCHS has served as the steward of Oregon's early history. Museum of the Oregon Territory, 211 Tumwater Drive, Oregon City OR 97045

Stevens Crawford Heritage House, 603 6th Street, Oregon City OR 97045

Clackamas County Family History Society Library at Museum
Research Library open Wednesdays and 1st and 3rd Saturday. BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

06/10/2026

Alfred Luelling (the last name is usually spelled Lewelling now) is buried in , land adjacent to the first orchard the Lewelling family planted in the 1840’s.

It was Alfred’s father, Henderson Lewelling, who decided his family should leave Iowa for the Oregon Country in 1847. And with them, the Lewellings brought a specially-devised cart filled with 700 grafted fruit trees to be replanted in the rich soil of the Willamette Valley in what is now Milwaukie, Oregon.

It was Henderson’s eldest son, Alfred, just 15 years old, who drove the oxen that carted the unwieldy wagon. It must have weighed tons - it took six oxen to haul the cart, which was filled with the delicate grafted trees and damp soil. A traveling nursery of grafted apple, pear, plum, and cherry trees. Only about half of them would survive the nearly 10 month long perilous journey, but those that did would be the first grafted fruit trees planted in Oregon. And this first orchard of grafted trees would become the origins of the Pacific Coast fruit industry and many new varieties of fruit.

For example, if you’ve ever sunk your teeth into a tasty Bing cherry, you can thank the Lewellings. The Bing cherry is named for the Chinese immigrant, Ah Bing, who was the foreman in one of the Lewelling orchards.

The Lewellings and their orchard partners once held nearly 1900 acres of farm land in Milwaukie. Only a few of the grafted trees or their descendants remain.

But fortunately, the story of the Lewellings and their development of the fruit industry on the Pacific Coast is not lost. Their story is brilliantly told by Willamette Valley writer and culinary historian, Linda Ziedrich, in the book: First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry.

Ziedrich will talk about her book Thursday, June 11 at 7 pm at the Museum of the Oregon Territory as part of the Museum’s Look Back series. The talk is open to the public. The lecture is $10 for museum members and $20 for non-members.

For more information about this upcoming lecture, visit our website at clackamashistory.org.

06/09/2026

You are looking upon something that nowadays is a genuinely rare sight.

Brian Koffler, the Director of Agronomy for the , is standing between two huge winter nevil pear trees that he believes may be two of the original trees Henderson Lewelling brought with him on the Overland Trail from Iowa to Oregon in 1847. (Few of the grafted Lewelling trees or their descendants remain.) The Lewellings’ first orchard is now the Waverley Country Club’s south practice range.

Henderson Lewelling, his wife, eight children (nine, counting the son that would be born on the almost ten month long journey) and an oxcart specially constructed to haul 700 grafted fruit trees came west in 1847.

The Lewelling family cleared the first five acres, planting their well-traveled fruit trees and themselves in the rich soil of the Willamette Valley. Eventually, the Lewellings and fellow orchardists they partnered with would own roughly 1900 acres. Their journey and their pioneering spirit was one of grit and hardship, but also ambition, perseverance, and opportunity. Their story tells the development of the fruit industry in Oregon and on the Pacific Coast.

It is also the history of westward expansion.

The land the Lewellings settled and farmed had been the home to the Clackamas people. Land we now call Southeast Portland and Milwaukie, Oregon.

The Lewelling story is brilliantly told by Willamette Valley writer, Linda Ziedrich, in the book: First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry.

Ziedrich will talk about her book Thursday, June 11 at 7 pm at the Museum of the Oregon Territory as part of the Museum’s Look Back series. The talk is open to the public. The lecture is $10 for museum members and $20 for non-members.

Oh, and the Lewellings were not just fruit growers. They were also liberal reformers. Some of their ideas were radical for their day. Back east, they had been Quakers. Out west, they were attracted to Spiritualism. Henderson Lewelling had hopes of starting a free love commune in Honduras. For more information about the upcoming talk, visit our website at clackamashistory.org.

06/06/2026

You are looking at living history. These stunning pear trees date from the 1840’s, saved by the in Southeast Portland. The land is now a private golf club, but before that, it was one of the Lewelling family’s fruit orchards.

Henderson Lewelling came west on the Overland Trail in 1847, bringing with him 700 grafted fruit trees. A traveling nursery, if you will, in a wagon specially designed to haul these small trees from Iowa to Oregon. Henderson and his brothers pioneered the fruit industry in Oregon and along the Pacific Coast.

At one point, the Lewelling family had as many as 1900 acres of land in Southeast Portland and Milwaukie. Land that was the territory of the Clackamas people, though few still lived there. Disease had killed off much of the Indigenous population before the Lewellings arrived. The Lewellings’ story is part of the story of the expansion of the American West.

Today, only a few of the Lewelling fruit trees remain. But the story of the Lewellings is not lost. And it’s being told in a new book: First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry. Willamette Valley author and culinary historian Linda Ziedrich will talk about her book 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 fruit growers. They were also liberal reformers. Some of their ideas were radical for their day. Back East, they had been Quakers. Out West, they were attracted to Spiritualism. Henderson Lewelling had hopes of starting a free love commune in Honduras.

Henderson Lewelling came west on the Overland Trail in 1847, bringing with him 700 grafted fruit trees. A traveling nursery, if you will, in a wagon specially designed to haul these small trees from Iowa to Oregon. Henderson and his brothers pioneered the fruit industry in Oregon and along the Pacific Coast.

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

06/05/2026

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

05/30/2026

Volunteers Dave, Sarah, and Linda with Milwaukie History Museum show us some living history. The apple tree in the backyard of their museum is one of the few Lewelling trees left.

The apple tree is a “scion” (or descendant) of one of the first grafted trees brought to Oregon by Henderson Lewelling in 1847.

From Iowa, Henderson Lewelling brought a wagon full of 700 small grafted trees to Oregon. That nursery wagon was filled with damp soil for the eight-month-long journey. There’s no record of just how much that wagon weighed, but it’s reported that it took more than six oxen to tow it! To the white settlers, it was worth it. Henderson Lewelling, along with brothers John and Seth, revolutionized the fruit industry along the Pacific coast.

And it all started in an orchard in Milwaukie. That’s where fruit-growing in the Oregon Territory took off.

The Lewelling story is also the story of western expansion. And the family’s story is the subject of a book by Willamette Valley writer Linda Ziedrich, called “First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry.” Ziedrich will talk about the Lewellings 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 also interesting characters. They were one-time Quakers, abolitionists, adventurers, colonists, and women’s rights advocates. Some were interested in spiritualism and attended seances. Henderson Lewelling was an exceptionally free-thinker – he tried to start a utopian free-love colony in Honduras.

The June 11th talk is open to the public. The lecture is $10 for museum members and $20 for non-members. For more information and updates, visit our website at clackamashistory.org

05/27/2026

The Stevens-Crawford Heritage House Annual Fundraiser Yard Sale will return once again this year, and we're currently looking for donations! On Friday and Saturday, August 7 and 8, 2026, CCHS will host its Annual Fundraiser Yard Sale. The proceeds go directly to CCHS and help us in our efforts to preserve, collect, and interpret Clackamas County history!

If you'd like to do some spring cleaning while helping your local historical society, please consider making an item donation towards the Yard Sale! Stop by either the Museum of the Oregon Territory or the Stevens-Crawford Heritage House during business hours, and a volunteer will assist you in parting with your item donations. The last day to drop off donations will be Saturday, August 1, 2026.

For a list of donated items our volunteer team are looking for and will accept, as well as condition guidelines and what we will not accept, please visit the event page on our website at clackamashistory.org/calendar

05/23/2026

Drone video captures the splendor of this Dosch yellow bellflower apple. It is one of 80 varieties of apples that once grew in the Lewelling orchard in Milwaukie, Oregon. Now it grows in the back yard of the Milwaukie History Museum in SE Milwaukie.

The apple tree is a “scion” (or descendant) of one of the first grafted trees brought to Oregon by Henderson Lewelling in 1847. It was his brother, Seth Lewelling, who took over the orchard. His trees populated orchards across Oregon.

Seth Lewelling’s apples sold down the Pacific Coast to California, earning him the moniker “Johnny Appleseed of the West.” The Lewellings revolutionized the Pacific Northwest fruit industry from their home base and orchard in Milwaukie. Their story is part of the history of western expansion.

The family is the subject of a book by Willamette Valley writer Linda Ziedrich, called “First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry.” Ziedrich will talk about the Lewelling family Thursday, June 11 at 7 pm at the Museum of the Oregon Territory as part of the Museum’s Look Back lecture series.

From Iowa, Henderson Lewelling brought a wagon full of 700 small grafted trees to Oregon. That nursery wagon was filled with damp soil for the eight-month-long journey. There’s no record of just how much that wagon weighed, but it’s reported that more than six oxen were required to tow it!

The Lewelling brothers: Henderson, Seth, and John were also interesting characters. They were one-time Quakers, abolitionists, adventurers, colonists, and women’s rights advocates. Some were interested in spiritualism and attended seances. Henderson Lewelling was an exceptionally free-thinker – he tried to start a utopian free-love colony in Honduras.

The June 11th talk is open to the public. The lecture is $10 for museum members and $20 for non-members. The Museum of the Oregon Territory is located at 211 Tumwater Drive in Oregon City. For more information, visit our website at clackamashistory.org.

05/16/2026

This apple tree proudly dominates the back yard of the Milwaukie History Museum in a SE Milwaukie neighborhood. Good thing it was not chopped down, because it has a history to tell that goes back to the Overland Trail.

It is a Dosch yellow bellflower apple, to be exact. And it is a “scion” (or descendant) of one of the first grafted trees brought to Oregon by Henderson Lewelling in 1847. The Lewellings once had an orchard in Milwaukie that grew as many as 80 varieties of apples and provided trees for orchardists across the Oregon Territory. Today, this is one of the few Lewelling trees still standing.

The story of the Lewelling family in Oregon tells the history of the growth of agriculture in the Willamette Valley. The family is the subject of a book by Willamette Valley writer Linda Ziedrich, called “First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry.” Ziedrich will talk about the Lewelling family on Thursday, June 11, at 7 pm at the Museum of the Oregon Territory as part of the museum’s Look Back lecture series.

From Iowa, Henderson Lewelling brought a wagon full of 700 small grafted trees to Oregon. That nursery wagon was filled with damp soil for the eight-month-long journey. There’s no record of just how much that wagon weighed, but it’s reported that more than six oxen were required to tow it! Those trees and the Lewellings would eventually establish roots here in the Willamette Valley.

The Lewelling brothers: Henderson, Seth, and John were also interesting characters. They were one-time Quakers, abolitionists, adventurers, colonists, and women’s rights advocates. Some were interested in spiritualism and attended seances. Henderson Lewelling was an exceptionally free-thinker– he tried to start a utopian free-love colony in Honduras.

The June 11th talk is open to the public. The lecture is $10 for CCHS members and $20 for non-members. For more information, visit our website at clackamashistory.org.

05/09/2026

We are excited to announce that the Museum of the Oregon Territory will be participating in the Blue Star Museums program this summer! In honor of our nation’s service members, the museum will offer free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families, including members of the National Guard and Reserve.

Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families in collaboration with the Department of Defense and participating museums across America. The 2026 program begins on Armed Forces Day, May 16, and ends on Labor Day, September 7, 2026.

To receive your free admission, please bring a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card. Showing this identification will grant the Service Member free access to the museum, as well as up to 5 family members.

For more information on this program, please visit the Blue Star Museum webpages at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums

05/05/2026

"Why wouldn’t you help an older person across the street? Why wouldn’t you help your neighbor, who was picking up leaves? And so, that "do a good turn daily," and "being prepared"– I think those are the kinds of things that have helped me throughout my life," recalls Ed Washington, who reflected on his time in Camp Merriwether in the late 1940s and early 1950s. "I think it taught you... a certain amount of self-reliance. How to swim... If you got in trouble, you knew how to use an axe, and a knife, and not hurt yourself or hurt someone else. You knew how to start a fire if you got in that kind of an emergency." He recalled fondly. "But I never got into anything like that, because– I knew how to tie knots, but I wasn’t going to tie a rope to a tree and swing out over a cliff!"

In our current exhibit, "Jennings Lodge Camp: A Gathering Place for Faith, Community, and Revival," we invite visitors to explore the special meaning outdoor experiences hold for Oregonians and the history of camping and scouting in the region through the testimonies of former campers and scouts.

"In a lot of cases, they felt like they were 'out there,' you know, [having] really 'high risk' experiences– but it was a controlled risk, so it gave them confidence," says Peggy Sigler, a former Camp Fire Girl and Assistant Director for Camp Onahlee. "The confidence they got through building outdoor skills, learning to cook on a burner and a Number 10 can."

What memories do you have of camping in the outdoors? While we can't give the "authentic" camping experiences (bugs and dirt are pretty terrible for museum artifacts), we can offer something close all while ensuring you can't be rained out! Visit the Museum of the Oregon Territory this summer and build a virtual campfire, listen to former scouts and campers like Ed and Peggy, and at the end, leave with your own tree-round Camp Name badge!

To start planning your trip, visit our website at clackamashistory.org

Address

Oregon City, OR

Telephone

(503) 655-5574

Website

http://www.clackamashistory.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Clackamas County Historical Society posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Clackamas County Historical Society:

Shortcuts

Want your museum to be the top-listed Museum in Oregon City?