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Big Apples, Big Business – Humanities Washington

Explore how Washington became the top apple-producing state in the country. Register in advance.

Why do so many apples in the grocery store look the same? And why do so many come from Washington?

Learn how Washington transformed apples into an industrialized commodity. Many regions in the West attempted to grow apples, but in Washington, big apples became big business thanks to the work of scientists, investors, irrigators, railroad corporations, marketers, and apple growers. Explore how the history of Washington apples reflects larger changes in the American food system.

This Humanities Washington’s Speakers Bureau talk is presented by Amanda L. Van Lanen, a Professor of History at Lewis-Clark State College and the author of The Washington Apple: Orchards and the Development of Industrial Agriculture.

Humanities Washington is a nonprofit organization dedicated to opening minds and bridging divides by creating spaces to explore different perspectives. For more about Humanities Washington, visit humanities.org.