Seattle's Orchards: A Historic Legacy Meets Modern Sustainability

European immigrants introduced orchards to the U.S. in the early 1600s. As they began to establish settlements and migrate west, they brought orchard cultivation with them, creating an extensive network of orchards spread across the U.S. However, over time many of these orchards were lost due to urb...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lieberworth, Audrey L
Format: Others
Published: Scholarship @ Claremont 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/25
http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1024&context=scripps_theses
Description
Summary:European immigrants introduced orchards to the U.S. in the early 1600s. As they began to establish settlements and migrate west, they brought orchard cultivation with them, creating an extensive network of orchards spread across the U.S. However, over time many of these orchards were lost due to urban development, which is what makes Seattle’s historic orchards significant. Early Seattle settlers planted orchards in the 1800s and early 1900s, and their remnants still exist today, despite urban development. Over the years, many of the orchards have been incorporated onto City Department-owned land, but they have not been maintained to the extent that they could or should be. In the past few years, there has been an interest in rejuvenating Seattle’s historic orchards and planting new ones in order to contribute to the growing local urban agriculture movement. This piece of work is framed around a discussion of the significance of Seattle’s orchards, their significance to the surrounding communities, and how the work accomplished at these sites can become sustainable.