Fruit growing played a significant role in the early Sedona economy. Over time, settlers constructed ditches, flumes, pipelines, reservoirs, and water wheels to provide irrigation to their gardens and eventually to their larger orchards.
Apples and peaches became the primary orchard crops. The Jordan orchard flanked both sides of this street and grew to almost 1500 fruit trees. Flagstaff and the mining town of Jerome provided markets for fruit, as did far away places. Oak Creek fruit was shipped to Seattle, San Francisco, Minnesota and even to American troops during World War II.
Before the Jordans, the Pendleys, Thompsons, Purtymuns, and others developed orchards along Oak Creek. Henry Schuerman grew apples, peaches, apricots, pears, quinces and grapes complete with a vineyard for making wines in the German style of his heritage. Roadside fruit stands popped up along the canyon road after it paved in the 1930.
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