This interview is part of a series on the history of apples in Boulder County. The oral history opens with Bert Tolbert recounting briefly his youth on a farm in Idaho, attending college at the University of California, Berkeley, and working at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). He came to Boulder in 1955 to take a faculty position at the University of Colorado. He purchased property in north Boulder, which was still somewhat rural at that time. This interview’s focus is the trees he raised on his property. He mentions Chinese elms, then discusses various fruit trees, especially apple trees. There were three old apple trees on the property when he bought it, and he planted several more over the years. Tolbert describes his use of the apples for making apple pie and applesauce. He also reminisces about neighborhood pressing parties to make cider. In addition to fruit trees, Tolbert planted spruce trees, one of which he estimates grew to a hundred feet tall. Finally, he comments on how his neighborhood has changed since his arrival. Bert’s wife Anne and daughter Margaret also participate briefly in the interview.
Topics include: Farming, the Great Depression, Melvin Calvin, Ernest Orlando Lawrence, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, north Boulder, Silver Lake Ditch, tree cultivation, apple orchard, spruce trees, Chinese elm, self-rooted trees, grafting, Red Delicious, Grimes Golden apples, peach trees, Lodi apples, Wealthy apples, McIntosh apples, fire blight, Montgomery Ward, ditch irrigation, Kalmia Avenue, making cider, making applesauce, making pies, apricots, plums, Bartlett pears, blue spruce, Boulder’s growth, apple pressing parties, Mapleton Hill, University Hill, Martin Acres, Juniper Avenue.