The cuttings on this site were taken from area pioneer homesteads to preserve local heirloom varieties and to tell the stories of their origin and uses.
Heritage Site
This site has been preserved by WSU Vancouver to allow current and future generations to appreciate and acknowledge the role those who came before us have had in nurturing this spot. Native Americans no doubt used this area as a camp site as it was on elevated ground at the confluence of two streams (Mill Cr. and Salmon Cr.) Steelhead and Salmon were caught here by those early inhabitants. Local lore suggests the area was a popular crossing for early settlers traveling north by horseback and wagon from Fort Vancouver to the South Puget Sound area during the 1800’s . This area had a relatively easy ford across Salmon Creek. A north-south wagon road is believed to have crossed Salmon Creek near here and progressed up over the hill where the University campus is today.
Early homesteaders built a cabin here along with other out buildings and a large hay barn. All that remains today are the ruins of a small log structure. But there are other clear signs that this site was occupied by “transplanted easterners”. Close inspection reveals that many of the plants and trees growing here are not native to this region. They too were transplanted and carried west from the Eastern and Midwestern states during the late1800’s. The plants were nurtured for decades by these northwestern settlers, nostalgic reminders of their roots back east. Most notably the Brown family lived here until the 1950’s.
It is fitting therefore that this site should become a repository of heritage plants, fruit trees, and other stocks from several well known and historic homesteads in Southwest Washington. A combination of descendents of those early homesteaders, agricultural and horticultural scientists, USDA/ARS personnel, WSU Facilities Operations personnel, and volunteers (including Master Gardeners) have collaborated to create the WSU Vancouver Heritage Orchard.
Carlson Property
Cuttings: Rhododendrons and California Bay Leaf
Original source: Old Gardner Place, now the Carlson farm on NW Hayes Rd. on the Lewis River, Woodland, WA.
Uses: California Bay for medicinal purposes, and seasoning.
History: The original owner, Daniel White Gardner of Massachusetts made his claim around May 1st 1853. The permanent cabin was completed in October 1866 and still stands. Most likely they were planted by Mary Gardner Luelling (daughter of original owner) in 1874. The plants are still standing, including a Mulberry Tree which was used for Dye. The 65 acre farm is now owned by Norm and Joyce Carlson.
Guild-Klady Centennial Farm
Cuttings: Lady Apple and Pound Pear
Original Source: Guild-Klady Centennial Farm, Woodland, WA.
Uses: The family made applesauce from the apples. Some of the apples were used to make Christmas decorations. The Pound Pears are edible, but lack flavor; they were used for livestock fodder in winter months.
History: Osa May Taggert’s Great Grandfather (Guild) planted them in the late 1800’s. Several had to be re-planted after the flood and severe winds of 1893. Her Grandfather purchased the property from her Grandmother’s father (Klady) in 1912. Many of the original trees and different varieties are still standing.
Goerig Site
Cuttings: Golden Delicious, Quince, and Fig.
Original Source: Goerig Family Site, on Goerig Road, just across the railroad tracks from downtown Woodland.
History: The Goerig property, on Caples Road, was the site of the first St. Philips Church. The first Catholic mass in SW Washington was held there, in 1872. Francis N. Goerig and his wife, Christina Heitman arrived in Woodland in 1853. They continued to hold mass in their home until around the turn of the century. Rosemary Bosch, who is now 88 years old, grew up on the property, which belonged to her Grandfather. Her Grandmother used the quince to make jelly. The Figs were used fresh or dried.
Buker Homestead
Cuttings: Greening and Gravenstein Apples
Original Source: Buker Farm near Burnt Bridge Creek and Alki Road, Vancouver, WA
History: Robert B. Buker and his Brother, Charles F. Buker moved to the area from Colorado in 1883. Robert bought his original tract in 1883 from the widow of George J. Tooley. The Tooley land grant was signed by U.S. Grant in 1872. On December 28, 1883, Charles F. Buker became the teacher of the first school in the area and Bukers named the school Hazel Dell, a name they liked in Ohio, where Robert and Charles were born.
A History of the Trail Through Buker’s Farm
by Robert J. Buker
The Green Belt Trail from just below the point where Alki Road crosses Burnt Bridge Creek to the mouth of the creek was part of Walt and LaVeta Buker’s farm before the Green Belt was established. Walt’s father, Robert B. Buker, bought his original tract in 1883 from the widow of George J. Tooley. The Tooley land grant was signed by U.S. Grant in 1872.
In 1883 Robert B. Buker and his brother Charles F. Buker moved to Vancouver from Colorado where they had been gold miners. There was a gold mine at the present end of Alki road so they bought the land on both sides of the mine. They were married to sisters and their father-in-law joined them on Alki road and he built the shake house in 1883 that is still in use. Charles built his first home about 1 100 yards beyond the north end of Alki Road.
On December 28, 1883 Charles F. Buker became the teacher of the first school in the area and the Bukers named the school Hazel Dell, a name they liked in Ohio where Robert and Charles were born. Charles sold his land to his brother and moved his family to Silver Lake in Cowlitz County.
Today there are four houses on the west side of Alki road. Bukers have owned or lived in all of them plus three others that have been dismantled. Walt and LaVeta built the brick house in 1961. They lived in the shake covered house from 1935 to 1961. Before 1935 they lived in his parents house where Walt was born. This two story house was located 75 yards north of the shake covered house. I dismantled it in 1951 and found it contained some of the lumber used in Walt’s parents first house which was located under the large white fir tree that has been topped to keep it clear of the power lines. My wife and I are building our new home on the same property that my parents and grandparents built theirs.
Let me guide you on a tour of my ancestors land starting at the point where Alki Road crosses Burnt Bridge Creek. Where did the names come from? Dr. John McLaughlin, in a letter stated that from the 27th of September, 1844 a fire burned a vast amount of timber and almost burned Fort Vancouver. This creek was known as Bridge Creek before the fire, but the bridge at Fourth Plain Road burned so it became Burnt Bridge Creek. August Schaeben started Alki, an industrial area and summer resort near where Alki road intersects Hazel Dell Avenue. His 1869 vision of a suburb called “Alki”, the Indian word for by and by, looking forward, or heaven never developed. Alki is now the motto for the State of Washington. Was this the first place named Alki? There is an Alki Point in Seattle but the Vancouver name is older than Seattle’s.
Moving northwest along the trail you will come to a pear orchard that Walt Buker acquired in 1935. Not the beaver damage at the base of the first two trees. Across the creek are three long unused bull frog ponds. Before the 1929 crash this valley produced bull frog legs for Portland hotel dining rooms. The field to the south was planted to sub clover and tall fescue in 1948 and the stand is still good today.
The cattle barn was built by Walt Buker to store feed for his 35 head of Registered Black Angus beef cattle. Most of the lumber was salvaged from other barns on the farm. In 1974 Walt Buker died at the edge of the creek near the barn while looking for a new born calf. He lived all his life in this valley he loved, and he hied less than 200 yards from where he was born.
Under the power lines is a large white fir tree that has been topped to keep it below the wires. Robert B. Buker’s first house was under this tree. In the mid 1920s Walt Buker built a dam in the creek near the white fir tree. The bank along the west side of the creek was raised by shoveling soil to form a dike so that the water was higher than the field. Corn and vegetable crops were planted with the rows arranged so the water would flow by gravity all the way to the base of the hill. This productive irrigated field supported a large family as Walt was the youngest of 12 children. This dam was also the major summer recreational area for north Vancouver, a swimming hole complete with a wooden diving board.
The gold mine was located east of the white house. Bukers rented this house in the 1920s and 1930s. It was owned by the only black family in the county in the early 1900s. A vertical log religious tabernacle in the yard was the center of the religious life of some of the more affluent black families of Portland in the 1940s.
The VANCOUVER INDEPENDENT on March 20, 1879 stated that George Tooley was selling the gold mine on burnt bridge creek for $10,000. Wages were one dollar per day in 1879.
Where did the wtaer come from to run the sluice boxes near the end of Alki road? The miners dug by hand a ditch along the base of the hill extending from Cole Creek near where it crosses under Interstate 5. The ditch and the Military Road can likey still be locted below the turns on Hazel Dell Avenue. This steep hill with deep sand was a major obstacle to wagon traffic between Vancouver and Woodland at the turn of the century.
Bukers came to this valley to find gold. A few fine flakes were all that they found but they have stayed in this beautiful valley since 1883. Enjoy the Green Belt formed from the land Walt Buker tended with love. KEEP IT BEAUTIFUL. Robert J. Buker PhD Dec. 1992
St. Cloud Ranch
Cuttings: Pacific Rose. Also, Golden Delicious, which came from a homestead immediately North of park.
Original Source: St. Cloud Ranch Homestead located in Skamania County, WA, 3 miles west of Skamania.
The apple orchard of Spitzenberg and Newtown-Pippin was planted before the turn of the century. The orchard trees provided a food source. Most were for personal use, and some were also sold at local markets.
History: The Farm was occupied by a succession of owners from 1871 and 1984. Paul J. and Florence Vial bought the property in 1909. From 1909 to the 1950s, St. Cloud Ranch was the summer home of the Vial family and boasted tennis courts, a swimming pool, boat dock and manicured grounds. Paul and Florence named their beloved home “St. Cloud Ranch” for the suburb of Paris, France where they spent their 1903 honeymoon and early married years. Today only the orchard hints of St. Cloud’s cultivated past.
Uptmor Place
Cuttings: Dolgo Crabapple
Original Source: Clark County Poor Farm (now 78th St. Experimental Station) Later cuttings were taken to the Uptmor property on N.E. 72nd St. Hazel Dell Vancouver, WA.
History: Victor and Yvonne Uptmor moved here from Idaho in 1940. They purchased the land next to the Poor Farm in Hazel Dell. Victor collected cuttings from the farm. Cuttings from the trees were taken sometime after 1940. Age of original trees is unknown. Many of the crabapples were pickled or used for cider. Yvonne cherished the Dolgo Crab for the beauty of its blossoms and for its fruit. It was destroyed by an ice storm in winter 2004.
Sam’s Walker Site
Cuttings: Winter Apple and pear
Original Source: Skamania County, Columbia River Gorge
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