Big Orchard Homes Apple Ranch 7,000 trees – 1901
A Big Orchard
J. E. Patterson’s New Venture in the Missoula Valley
Missoula, May 17 – Missoula has a large orchard near it which few of the residents know anything about, and parties will not have to travel many miles to show their friends what a big orchard looks like. J. E. Patterson, the Chicago lawyer, who, with his family, recently moved onto a large tract west of the city and near the fort, has just completed the setting out of 7,000 apple trees. They take up 63 acres of land and occupy a portion of what was once known as the Douglas ranch. Mr. Patterson has only four varieties, the Delaware Red, Northern Spy, Jonathan and York Imperial. The trees are well planted and Mr. Patterson expects soon to retire from his practice and attend to his orchard his whole time.
The above article appeared in The Anaconda Standard on May 18, 1901.
The Douglas ranch would have been just south of Spurgin Road in Missoula, near where the Fish & Game building is located. Patterson was a long time Missoula attorney who built a home on S 5th St E not long after acquiring the Douglas property.