FORT SIMPSON - When Orest Watsyk sees apple blossoms in Fort Simpson they lead him on a walk down memory lane.

Watsyk is responsible for some of the apple blossoms that can be seen around the village.

Orest Watsyk examines some of last year's fruit on one of the crabapple trees in Fort Simpson's Heritage Park. Watsyk helped grow these trees in the 1960s. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Currently a resident of Yellowknife, Watsyk lived in the village for close to 25 years starting in July 1963. During that time he was both a teacher and a principal at Thomas Simpson school.

As a teacher, Watsyk said he taught everything except kindergarten.

"If no one wanted something I'd take it," he said with a smile.

One of the topics he taught was agriculture.

"Agriculture at that time was a much more serious concern," said Watsyk.

In his class students learned what agriculture was and studied the science of plants and the idea of sustainable development. For hands-on projects they tried some landscaping and maintained a flock of chickens.

The students also had a crabapple project. The experimental farm in the village that was running at the time had a crabapple tree. As one of their fall gardening activities, the students went to the farm, collected fruit, dissected it and planted the seeds. The students also grew sand cherry trees, black currant trees and raspberry bushes.

After a year of growing, when the trees were between six to eight inches high, the students were allowed to take them home and plant them, said Watsyk.

While driving around Fort Simpson during a trip to the village on June 4, Watsyk said he was pleased to see some of the original trees in blossom.

"It's a joy that lasts forever," he said.

After the students had taken home their trees, there were a few left. The remaining trees were given to Dr. Ian Marion. Marion planted his trees near his home, an area that is currently the Heritage Park.

At the Heritage Park, Watsyk found a number of surviving crabapple trees that are currently in full bloom. He took some of last year's fruit, which is still on the limbs, for seeds to try and grow some trees in Yellowknife.

"It's nice to see those survive," he said.

At the park Watsyk also found one of the currant trees and some raspberry bushes. There is also a European bird cherry tree, a relative of the chokecherry.

Some of the original crabapple trees are also surviving beside the liquor store. Geisla Schmidz, who owned a liquor store at the same location, had two children who planted their trees in a row there.

Ten trees were planted in approximately 1967, but one winter mice ate the bark off of some of the trees below the snow line and many died, said Watsyk.

Watsyk remembers Schmidz making a mess of her kitchen one year when she made applesauce out of the fruit from her line of trees.

The fruit the trees produced could grow as large as a thumbnail. Watsyk isn't sure how the fruit would taste now but remembers the applesauce.

"Geisla made them taste good," he said.

Watsyk said he hopes that other residents of the village will also enjoy looking at the blossoms.