Growing up in McElmo Canyon in the 1930s and 1940s, Vivienne Kenyon recalls a vibrant scene of commercial fruit farms that attracted customers from near and far.

"My dad's orchard was known for its peaches," she says. "We grew watermelons, cantaloupe, berries and called our place the fruit ranch."

Long-time locals including Vivienne's husband, Phillip, remember McElmo's many orchards and truck farms as a popular destination to buy fruit and vegetables in bulk.

"It was really beautiful, but then it disappeared," Phillip said.

Hundreds of laborers used to swarm the canyon to harvest the many varieties of peaches, apples, pears, mulberries, and cherries.

Watermelon, cantaloupes, and berries thrived in the loamy soils of this sunny, red-rock canyon protected from the wind.

Empty trucks arrived, and left full on their way to stock local grocery stores. Thousands of pounds were loaded onto railroads in Mancos and Dolores that shipped the fruit to regional cities and towns.

"It provided jobs, and farmers made a good living," Vivienne recalls. "The agriculture hub helped spur other trades as well."

But in the early 1950s, the railroads left, monoculture crops took over, the local fruit market crashed, and laborers moved on

Today, there are just a few remnants of those fruit trees left, but a local food movement has grand plans to revive Montezuma County's once thriving orchard economy.

They will start on the Kenyon's land, where five historic fruit trees have survived on a six-acre plot.

On Feb. 5, the property where Vivienne grew up was recognized as a historic site by Colorado's Most Endangered Places Program (EPP).

"I'm so pleased that history is being recognized and that we might be responsible for reviving a wonderful industry," Vivienne said.

Orchard expert Jude Schuenemeyer, of the Let it Grow Nursery, is on the hunt for the historical apple, peach, cherry and pear varieties once grown in McElmo Canyon, some from more than a century ago.

As part of the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project, he will graft and clone these antique species, then plant 25 trees at the Kenyon site this Spring.

"It will be a home for these historic varieties," he said. "The idea is to bring them back and help spread them into the community to create new orchards."

One reason orchards did not survive locally was the move toward monoculture agriculture, which has little variety. In the 1920s, there were 17,000 apple varieties; now, there are 6,000.

"When there was a freeze, or pests came through, everything was wiped out. Genetic diversity helps protect against that, for one because they bloom at different times," Schuenemeyer said.

He said identifying varieties that are more resistant to late frosts is key for this area.

Neighbor and arborist David Temple is assisting in the project, preparing the soil, and installing deer fencing.

"This is a joint venture between Trail Canyon Ranch and this Gold Medal Orchard," he said, referring to when fruit from the site won a gold medal at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904.

The local orchard boom is picking up steam. The Montezuma School to Farm is also replanting an orchard at Battle Rock Elementary School in McElmo Canyon.

The orchard restoration project's goal is to diversify the local ag market with fruits. Colorado peaches especially sell well, bringing in a utilized production value of $22.4 million in 2010, according to Colorado Agriculture Statistics. In 2011, the annual per-acre production value for Colorado peaches was $10,902, compared to $314 for hay and $255 for wheat.

The nearby Kenyon land is the first time the endangered-places program has recognized an orchard as threatened with extinction. The designation could lead to assistance from Colorado Preservation, Inc., and lets communities know about the effort.

"Our program has succeeded in bringing national attention to low profile places," said Danielle Dascalos, a representative of the EPP. "These stories tell the story of our state and its people."

jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com