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14A THE OSHAWA TIMES, Tuesdey, April 11, 1967 50,000 Bushels Grown By Red Wing Orchards Red Wing Orchards, located fm Pickering Township border- ing on the Whitby - Pickering Town Line, is probably Ontario County's largest and best known apple orchard. Just two and a half miles west of Whitby, en Highway 2, it has become well known as an important segment of the Whitby business area. : The property now known as Red Wing Orchards was origin- ally cleared and settled in the early 1820's shortly after the Kingston Road came into exis- tance as a foot and horse path from Ancaster to Kingston. A commercial orchard was first planted on the property af- ter R. Russell Rleming, many of | whose descendants still live in the Pickering-Whitby area, pur- chased the property in 1912. The main varieties planted in these early days were Spy, McIntosh, Snow and Baldwin. A good quantity of King, Cran- berry Pippin and Gravensteins as well as five trees of about 20 other varities were also plant- ed. It is interesting to note that of the above varieties only Mc- Intosh, Spy and Gravenstein are now grown with the others giving way to more popular Delicious, Cortland, Macoun, Russett and Greening. PRESENT OWNERS Red Wing Orchards came in- to the hands of the present owners, Mr. and Mrs. G. Nor- man Irwin, in 1927 and their present stone residence, known as "Stonehaven", was complet- ed in July of 1928. An inter- esting feature of this house is that the field stone used was all gathered from neighboring farms with a six-mile radius. The main barn, which now houses a purebred herd of Brown Swiss and Jersey dairy cattle was built in 1929. The three- story brick cold storage plant was erected in 1931 with a cap- acity of 31.500 boxes of apples. In 1936 the property on the souts side of Highway 2, form- erly owned by George Lee, was | purchased and extensive re- stable of imported Suffolk Punch draft horses. The Suf- folks were viewed with great interest by passersby until dis- persed just after the war. CANNED JUICES About 1935 Red Wing Orchards began canning apple juice and sweet cider for the retail and chain store markets. Their pro- duct was acknowledged as being the first and finest in Ontario. With the outbreak of the Second World War and restrictions on material and labor coming in- to effect, Red Wing went out of the juice business. Today all of the off grade fruit is shipped to other outlets for juice making. For many years, before and after the war, Red Wing Orch- ards was a leading competitor at the Royal Winter Fair ap- ple competition. The Niagara Gold. Watch, symbolic of the best single box of apples in the show, has been awarded to Red Wing Orchards on many | modelling of the buildings com- | pleted. Two modern barns were 'then ready to house a. fine - | Ace SERVING WHITBY Proudly for A CYCLE and surrounding districts Great Many Years WILSON'S & SALES . Local people are in- terested to see Red Wing Orch- ard products on display each year im the apple section at the Royal though competitions were several years 7" important additon to the storage facilities was added in 1960 with the construction of twe controlled atmosphere rooms with a capacity of more than 12,000 boxes. Spy apples or sleeping beauties as they are sometimes called are sealed in these airtight rooms where oxy- gen and carbon dioxide levels are controlled as well at the tempeature. This red the respiration rate of the fruit and provides for crisper, juicier ap- ples for late season use, AREA LANDMARK In the early fall, through un- til the freeze-up, many Whitby area people drive out to the roadside market at Red Wing to buy farm fresh produce. The "Big Red Apples', at the road- side, have long been a land- mark for tourists, bus drivers and particularly children. A year-round retail business is conducted from the cold stor- age plant and this is an im- portant part of the marketing of the crop. During harvest time approx- imately 70 apple pickers are hired daily to help get the crop, which last year was about 50,000 bushels. This is from 150 acres now planted in orchard. Along with the regular staff of 15 men they pick and place in cold storage each day's pick- St. John's Anglican Church One Of Oldest In District The Port Whitby area of Whit- by has the distinction of having one of the oldest churches in this section of the province. Of stone construction it was erected by the late J. C. Sterling, later a prominent hotel keeper and auctioneer in the Greenwood area. Limestone used in the erection of the church was brought from the Kingston area as ballast in the schooners which called at Whitby Harbor to load grain and flour. and grading erew of five or six pack baskets and pely bags seen in the chain and indepen- dent stores in Whitby and sur- rounding: areas. Red Wing gift boxes are ship- ped throughout Canada and the U.S.A., mostly at Christmas time when extra fancy apples are much in demand. An important part of the oper- ation at Red Wing is the field crops of peas, corn and squash for a local processor. Hay fields and pasture land are, of course needed for the dairy herd. Milk is shipped to a local dairy and bulk handling methods are used. All in all it is a very divers- ified operation totaling 435 acres and involving im all as- pects of growing, packing and ing on the same day. A packing marketing of top quality crops. There are few towns today with as many at- tractive churches as Whitby. Among the older church build- ings are the Whitby Baptist Church, St. Andrew's as fterian Church, &. Mark's United Church and AM Saints' Anglican Churches. The trend of progress is in- dicated by the fact that the con- gregation of the Whitby Baptist Church has begun construction of a new church building near the Ontario Ladies College and the congregation of St. Andrew's plans to erect a new church on Cochrane street, The United Church of Canada has two churches, in addition to St. Mark's serving the Whitby area, They are Gardenview in the north end of the town and Almonds on Highway 2, east of Whitby. Faith Baptist Charch, on Brock Street north; is one of the community's newer ¢ehurch buildings. The Roman Catholic community is served by St. John the Evangelist Church, Gifford Street, one of the most beautiful and modern designed churches in the area. The community is aleo served by Pentecostal and Christain Reformed Church, which have been erected in recent years. Ra Be SE a * porreecmcersomanuuereni ARES ~~ WHITBY PL OF PROG These progessive business firms express their confidence in the future of Whitby . . . together, younger, older and oldest ... each in its own field of endeavor . . . are making Whitby more secure for the family and the laborer, more substantial as an ind jobs, taxe ever-expa experienc: xt 106 Colborne St. East 668-3746 PROUD TO SERVE WHITBY & AREA! OUR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY ... 2 Years Successfully Serving WHITBY & AREA Webster Lumber & SUPPLIES LIMITED ot your service LOYAL POGUE AUCTIONEER Serving Whitby ond Dis Lehn's Bak 206 High St., Whitby 668-4271 114 Lupin Dr. Bloir Pork 'Ploze PROUD TO BE A PART OF WHITBY'S PARADE OF PROGRESS Serving Whitby and -- 701 Brock St. North 668-4451 Area Proudly for | The Past 5 Years 12 Years Of Personalized Service TO RESIDENTS OF WHITBY AND AREA | } | | | | J | "Come Fly With Dairy Queen" DAIRY QUEEN Young Mod FROM TOTS TO TEE "THE STORE WITH FASHIONS Ob ' Whitby Dairy Bar WINNER OF GOLDEN CUP COFFEE AWARD 201 Dundas. St. West 668-3770 1003 Dundas St: East Owner -- HENRY PRICE @ Monager -- CARRIE McQUIRE : "6 (ee fe, ee) are | erananeseaoereenmaneaenst 668-5342 135 Brock St. South r ee Y OT ee | -- term