An early 1900s orchard on Orcas Island

ID: 458 ~ Source: From Washington Rural Heritage. "Dave Nicol's orchard, Orcas Island, Washington, May 1916," available at https://www.washingtonruralheritage.org/digital/collection/orcas/id/3760/rec/8.

This file appears in: Roots of Fruit

This photo of an early 1900s orchard in bloom also shows Matia Island (now Matia Island Marine State Park) off the coast of Eastsound.

This file appears in: Roots of Fruit

Roots of Fruit – Early American settlements on Orcas Island got their start as fruit farms

By Rachel Baker

Today Orcas Island is known for scenic hiking, quaint artist studios, and farm-to-table dining, but the island wasn’t always best known for these features. While produce is still grown on the island, fruit farms used to dominate the landscape of…