Old Apple Tree Some say that it is the "oldest apple tree" in
the Northwest. Some even say it may be the oldest on the west
coast. The Old Apple Tree, 2001 The Old Apple Tree, circa 1920
That may still be in dispute. Whatever the story, all the tales
about Vancouver's apple tree are interesting and share a lot of
facts. It all started at a party in London...A lady at a
farewell dinner party for Lieut. Emilius Simpson, the cousin of
Hudson's Bay governor Sir George Simpson, playfully put the
seeds of her desert apple into his waistcoat pocket. She asked
him to plant them when he arrived at his destination on the
other side of the world. Emilius Simpson arrived in Vancouver in
November of 1826 and was soon invited to dine with Dr.
McLoughlin in the stockade on the present Deaf School site.
During the evening he absentmindedly stuck a finger into his
waistcoat and discovered the seeds. Dr. McLoughlin, Simpson and
Pierre C. Pambrun planted the apple seeds in small boxes which
were put under glass. Dr. McLoughlin