Janet Dodson/Contributed photo Cowboys: Then and Now is an exhibit at the Union County Museum.

UNION — You’ve heard of Johnny Appleseed, now learn a new slant on the old legend.

The Union County Museum will hold its Third Tuesday event Sept. 21, beginning at 7 p.m. The guest speaker is David Benscoter, founder of The Lost Apple Project, who will talk about the historical importance of apples in the region and how the project has located several species once thought extinct.

The Lost Apple Project has partnered with the Whitman County Historical Society in Washington and the Temperate Orchard Conservancy in Oregon to investigate, identify and preserve heritage apple trees and orchards in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The Project has recovered 29 apple varieties that were thought to have disappeared, including a recent find at Flora in Wallowa County. These heritage varieties are possibly more resistant to pests and can be used to enhance modern varieties.

“I recently uncovered an old 1896 nursery catalog from Union’s Eastern Oregon Nursery, containing rare or possibly lost varieties,” Benscoter said.

He noted that an important purpose of the lecture is to educate people about heritage apples and inspire them to nurse their apple trees through the drought to preserve their future.

“You may have a lost or rare variety in your own backyard,” said Benscoter, who lives north of Spokane and travels throughout the Pacific Northwest in search of heritage apples.

His Sept. 21 talk will also highlight the importance of apples to homesteaders as a source of food and apple cider vinegar.

The event will be held in the Little White Church, next to City Hall, in Union. The Third Tuesday series, before the pandemic, was held three times each summer, featuring a wide range of topics by local presenters and musicians.

Want to see a heritage apple? Plan a visit to Avella Orchard on North Fir Street in La Grande, the first stop on the updated Grande Ronde Farm Trail, where orchardist Danae Yergel is preserving several heritage apple varieties. Contact Yergel at avella.danae@yahoo.com or 541-663-6756 to schedule a guided tour.

About the museum

The Union County Museum preserves 150 years of artifacts and stories that illustrate life in Union County. Exhibits include “Cowboys: Then and Now,” a livery station, and a section about agriculture, transportation and timber.

333 S. Main St., Union

Open through September

11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Wednesday-Saturday

$5 adults, $4 seniors, $3 students