SOUTHERN COLORADO — Colorado, a state that came into being in 1876, saw the beginnings of apple cultivation at around the same time. In the late 1800s, apple orchards were a common sight near Boulder, and by 1900, Colorado had established itself as a top apple-producing state in the country.  

The areas near Montrose, Chautauqua, and Paonia were bustling with a variety of apple-related enterprises. Katherine Suding, Professor of Ecology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, points out, many of the original apple trees brought to the state by early homesteaders are now approaching the end of their 100-year lifespan, marking a significant chapter in Colorado's agricultural history. 

The production of apples in Colorado and the diversity in varieties suffered from the rise in the production and popularity of the bland Red Delicious apple from Washington. This fruit led to a decline in the varieties of apples that were once cultivated, and those remaining apples are often termed "heirloom." 

Prohibition led to a decline in hard cider and during the 33-year alcohol ban, law enforcement destroyed many orchards. In his seminal work, "The Botany of Desire," Michael Pollan wrote, "Up until Prohibition, an apple grown in America was far less likely to be eaten than to wind up in a barrel of cider." 

Thankfully, there are concerted efforts to protect and cultivate these heirloom apples, such as the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project and the Boulder Apple Tree Project. These initiatives are a testament to the value placed on preserving our agricultural heritage and the diversity of apple varieties. 

The mission of the Montezuma Restoration Project is to preserve Colorado's fruit-growing heritage and restore an orchard culture and economy to southwestern Colorado. 

According to the project, "Remnants of Colorado's early fruit diversity remain in our rural and urban landscape. The trees are hidden or right in plain sight — sometimes forgotten, and other times revered by the families who always remembered." 

There are remnant apple orchards near San Luis.  

The roots of Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project (MORP) were established when co-founders Jude and Addie Schuenemeyer began their horticulture careers in 2001.  

In an interview with the Valley Courier, Jade said, the couple got into apple cultivation, "Purely by accident, Addie and I were on hotshot crews [wildland firefighting] and realized that was not great for long-term relations. I was also working at Mesa Verde [National Park] as a paramedic, and we saw this little neighborhood nursery in Cortez that was for lease. It had been there for over 50 years and many people kept telling us about the orchard history. They would give us county fair records and these articles by Jasper Hall regarding Montezuma County from the late 1800s. We were getting bombed with all this information." 

Some of the apples produced by Montezuma include Colorado Russet, Colorado Sunrise, and Noland Winter Honey. According to Jude, they manage four orchards. 

"Most of what we are growing are extraordinarily rare varieties. They are the old cultivars we found in old orchards. We know that they are rare. We did DNA testing, and they do not match. We don't know some of their names; they have been lost over time." 

Today, the Schuenemeyers run the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project (MORP) as a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of apple varieties. 

The San Luis Valley has old orchards in Costilla County Jude said, adding, “There are old orchards in the San Luis Valley, we have taken cuttings from old trees up in Saguache. I guarantee that if you start driving around Alamosa, you will find old trees, and you are not too high in elevation. There are old crab apples and northwest Utes, exactly what we would expect: cold, hearty varieties. 

"These early growers were very savvy, I can't stress enough. They were skilled growers and remarkable at what they did. These were the people digging the ditches, most of our water rights are directly tied to the benefit of orchards. 

"You in the Valley are in a really important place. A lot of early people, the traders, mountain men, were along the Arkansas River and they were following Ute Trails into the San Luis Valley. All of this was part of the early agricultural history. Some of this history with the Utes is painful. You guys in the San Luis Valley were very early on in fruit growing. I guarantee there are more apples growing around you in the Valley than you can imagine." 

Commercial apple production could return to the Valley, said Jude, "The average person, here and in the San Luis Valley with small acreage that are not big enough to do viable big alfalfa and not big enough for another big acreage crop can have orchards on very small parcel and be profitable. If you do these old-style orchards widely spaced with drought-resistant rootstock, we are talking decades for these trees to mature. Plant these with native grasses that help with filtration of water through the soil and turn it into a big reservoir. This can be profitable on small acreage and create a healthier ecosystem." 

The Schuenemeyers hope to capture and preserve the region's history as a fruit-growing center in the late 1800s and early 1900s and restore a lost fruit economy. 

For one of the best apple juice or ciders that this reporter has ever tasted, visit the restoration project at montzumaorchard.org or call 970-565-3099 and ask where and when this seasonal product may be available. 

For a great read, “The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan," mentioned in this article is available at the Alamosa Public Library and from booksellers.