BONUS EPISODE: First Fruits - The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry

About this episode

This episode features an interview with Linda Ziedrich about her book on the Lewelling family's impact on the Pacific Coast fruit industry.

On this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY, Feliks Banel speaks Linda Ziedrich, author of “First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry.” The book is published by Oregon State University Press in Corvallis, Oregon. Ziedrich spent several years researching the peripatetic Lewelling family and their mid-19th century migration from North Carolina, to Indiana, to Iowa and to Oregon and California. All along the way, the Lewelling brothers cultivated fruit trees, developed hybrid varieties and created a major and enduring (if nowadays somewhat hidden) legacy. More information about "First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry" from OSU Press: https://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/first-fruits Author Linda Ziedrich will give a talk about her book on Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 7pm Pacific Time at the Museum of the Oregon Territory in Oregon City, Oregon as part of the museum’s “Look Back” series. Author Event at in Oregon City on Thursday, June 11, 2026: https://clackamashistory.org/cchs-events-calendar/2023/11/2/look-back-lecture-history-first-fruits-june-11 Links to more information as well as images related to most…

People in this episode

Host: Feliks Banel

Guest: Linda Ziedrich

Topics covered

• fruit industry
• Lewelling family
• migration
• hybrid varieties
• Pacific Coast
• history

Keywords

• Lewelling family
• fruit cultivation
• hybrid varieties
• Pacific Coast
• Oregon history
• agriculture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oregon State University Press

Books & works: First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry

Places: North Carolina, Indiana, Iowa, Oregon, California, Museum of the Oregon Territory

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