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Johnny Appleseed: A True American Legend

  • Marlon Mata
  • March 18, 2011

Perhaps one of the most powerful images that we can think of is that of a man who would travel the country, sowing with patient care seeds that will later on become apple trees. That is what we can imagine from one of America’s most enduring figures of old: Johnny Appleseed.

Born as John Chapman in 1774, Johnny Appleseed filled the American imagination with his reputation as a journeyman. He traveled the Ohio countryside, planting apple seeds in nurseries. He would wait for them to grow up and then have it sold to other planters and orchard owners. He would often leave the care of the nurseries to neighbors for a year or two, coming back to collect payment or to tend to the plants.

One of the most recurring images of him is that of an old man with a tin pot as a cap over his head, dressed in rags and carrying a sack of apple seeds. Although the image is more of an exaggeration, it does paint a picture of a man who lives with the most basic necessities. And the apple is a fruit that helps provide for those basics.

Appleseed was also known as an animal lover. There are stories about him that describes his compassion to even the smallest of insects, since all these are God’s creatures. One story has him dousing his own campfire one night because the mosquitoes that approach it are getting burned. There is also another time when he saved a horse who was about to be put down was given a new life in a pasture that he personally bought. Such are the stories that describe his kindness.

Johnny Appleseed: A True American LegendStill, apples will forever remain as a lasting memento of Johnny Appleseed. So, the next time you sink your teeth on a tasty slice of apple pie, or dip your fingers on some applesauce, think about the man who planted apples in the past and give him your thanks. He deserves it.

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