What kind of person looks at the treacherous Oregon Trail and says, “You know what would make this even harder? Let’s drag 700 fruit trees with us”?
In this episode, John and Patrick continue the epic tale of the Lewelling family - radical Quakers, abolitionists, and horticultural pioneers - as they pack up their Iowa homestead and begin one of the most improbable journeys in American history: a rolling orchard bound for Oregon.
From oxen-dragged nursery wagons to the disease-ridden banks of the Platte River, from frostbitten saplings near South Pass to a hand-built boat on the Columbia, this is the incredible true story of how Henderson Lewelling hauled an entire orchard across 2,000 miles of wilderness. Along the way, he’d test the limits of family, faith, and physical endurance - with a pregnant wife, eight children, and a dream of planting fruit trees at the edge of a continent.
Join John and Patrick as they follow the Lewellings from Salem, Iowa, to Fort Vancouver, through disease, death, divine protection - and, finally, rebirth.
----------
In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
-----------
Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community.
Support us!
-----------
Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter here for extra stories related to recent episodes, book recommendations, a sneak peek of upcoming episodes and more.
-----------
Step into history - literally! Now is your chance to own a pair of The History of Fresh Produce sneakers. Fill out the form here and get ready to walk through the past in style.
-----------
Instagram, TikTok, Threads:
@historyoffreshproduce