John Chapman 1774-1845
The Legendary Johnny Appleseed
Many families like to go apple picking. Did you ever wonder who plants apple trees? In 1797, John Chapman started to plant thousands of apple trees. Chapman is also known as Johnny Appleseed. He planted his first apple trees in Pennsylvania. From there he walked hundreds of miles, across many states. He planted seeds everywhere. Chapman sold and gave apple seeds and small trees to people moving west.
Some stories about Johnny Appleseed may be tales, or stories that may not be true. People say that he wore a big coffee sack as a shirt and a tin pot as a hat! One story tells about Chapman giving apple seeds to everyone he met. Maybe the next time you take a bite out of a juicy apple you will think of Johnny Appleseed.
Critical Thinking
Why do you think Chapman wanted to plant so many apple seeds?