Apple Orchard in the Wilderness

Persistence of agriculture

MichaelStephenWills
….continued from the chapter “A Ride to Reavis Ranch”

Imagine walking across the ranch house ruin towards where I described the former pond. Looking to the east and north from the elevation you see this sight.

In the near distance a grass pasture slopes into Reavis Creek. The creek has flowing water in all but the longest dry seasons. By the way, the trail from Pine Creek is on the slopes of that conical feature in the distance, to the left.

Click any photograph for a larger version.
Looking from the former house site towards the Arizona Trail running beneath the distant red rock ridge. Not the fence rails on the left and apple trees in bloom.

From the ruin, walk down the Arizona Trail, south, for a few hundred feet and turn left into the fields to encounter the same apple tree, and a close up of pure white apple blossoms.

Portrait of a Blooming Apple Tree

At Rest and History

This tree is an outlier of a thick stand of several hundred trees to the north. The Searcher and I rode into the middle of the grove for a rest and chat. The horses were allowed to graze in the abundant new grass brought on by the winter rains.

The Searcher told me the story of the valley and that it was a man named Clemans who planted 600+ apple trees, trees in bloom all around us. The Reavis Valley was long a site of agriculture, starting in the 19th century with Elisha Reavis, who passed away in 1896 and is buried on the slopes of White Mountain, and continued with a series of ranchers and entrepreneurs in the 20th: John Fraser, William Clemans, who planted the trees, and John A. “Hoolie” Bacon, then Bacon’s son-in-law Floyd Stone who sold the land to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1967.

We talked about some earthwork I noticed, in the southern part of the valley. It was part of a water system that diverted Reavis creek flow at the head of the valley to the ranch house. We decided that strange hexogonal structure on the elevation above the house ruin was the site of water storage. At that location the structure would provide a pressure feed for the house and much else.

Abandoned Hay Rake

A mix of winter rains and fertile soil were exploited in the Reavis Valley for a handful of decades, the enterprise now is set aside. This abandoned hay rake and chassis, used to harvest grass in seasons past, is evidence of the work. The apple trees produce to this day without irrigation.

The Searcher touched upon the subject of the “Circlestone” ruin he mentioned on our morning ride. He had never been there, but mentioned some books on the subject. It is a wide circle of rough stone wall enclosing mysterious structures. At this point, I was hooked, and decided to check Circlestone on a later trip. Here are some photographs from one of those trips, in November 2006.

Reavis Ranch Apple Orchard Tree

Reavis Ranch Apples Yellow

Reavis Ranch Apples Red

In my next post The Searcher and I return to Pine Creek, Colorado gives me some trouble and we visit a stand of wild oats in the Reavis Gap.

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40 thoughts on “Apple Orchard in the Wilderness”

  8. Michael, the photo of the apple tree filled with blossoms reminds me of a nature park about 10 minutes away. On top of one of the ridges one finds an old homesite from many years ago. There are a couple of apple trees that still produce. I should make an effort to walk there so that I can take some pictures.

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  9. Pingback: A Ride to Reavis Ranch – Michael Stephen Wills Photography

  10. I am loving this series, Michael — half Thoreau in the wilderness, half mystery novel. And all accompanied by your beautiful photos! Just wonderful.

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    1. Good afternoon, Dave. Horses, mules or donkeys are the only mode of transportation. Helicopters were used on time to rescue a boy scout troop during a March snow storm. There are people who pack out apples for personal use, as a family activity. There is not a profit incentive for the government, or anyone, to harvest the apples. In the past, there was a road and the produce could be taken out horse and cart they way Reavis and the others did.

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  13. That looks absolutely blissful with the apples on the ground and the old agricultural tools. Curiously, I have never been in an orchard. Everywhere I have lived is either too hot or too cold. Plenty of watermelons down here…

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