In 1866, Thomas W. Harris is thought to have planted Montana’s first cherry trees in the Bitterroot Valley. Orchards then popped up around Flathead Lake in the 1880s and 1890s.
By the time cherry orchards faded from the Bitterroot’s agricultural landscape in the first decades of the 20th century, the Flathead had become the cherry capital of the state.
Today, growers in the Flathead harvest millions of pounds of cherries each summer. And this year looks to be particularly fruitful for one of Montana’s most unique and historic crops.
Dale Nelson, president of the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers co-op, said he expects his 102 members to harvest at least 3 million pounds of cherries this year, up from a yearly average of 2.5 million. And demand is high.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Flathead Beacon (Kalispell, MT).
Photo by Lido Vizzutti, The Flathead Beacon