April 12 10:30 am – 12:00 pm. Doors open at 10:00 am.

On Saturday, April 12, join the Redmond Historical Society for an exciting conversation with Professor Amanda L. Van Lanen on “Big Apples, Big Business: How Washington Became the Apple State.” Dr. Van Lanen is speaking courtesy of Humanities Washington.

Why do so many apples in the grocery store look the same? And why do so many come from Washington? In this talk, explore how Washington became the top apple producing state in the country, and how, in the process, it 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. How does the history of Washington apples reflect larger changes happening in the American food system—changes that continue to affect our environment and the way we eat today?

This in-person event is free to RHS members with a suggested donation of $5 to non-members. Click here for more info.

About the Speaker
Amanda L. Van Lanen (she/her) is a Professor of History at Lewis-Clark State College and the author of The Washington Apple: Orchards and the Development of Industrial Agriculture. She earned a Ph.D. in history at Washington State University, and blogs about food history at historyreheated.com.