Meet the Stennes Family

In the foothills of the Cascades in the Methow Valley in Eastern Washington the Stennes family orchards have been thriving for over 100 years. This land has been home for five generations of Stenneses.

The heritage has been passed generation to generation beginning with Britanus Stennes who immigrated to America in 1892, settling in Minnesota for two years. Being the lone survivor of a mining accident there, he traveled west, then up the Columbia River to Ives Landing (renamed Pateros in 1900 after a small Phillipine village by Charles Nosler who purchased Ives Landing).


Britanus continued up the Methow Valley by horse and wagon, laid claim to a 160 acre parcel under the Homestead Act signed in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln. Britanus filed an application, began improving the land and filed for a deed of title over the next few years. Our family has the copy of the original homestead papers signed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905.

Sometime between 1894 and 1900 Britanus ventured to Alaska following the gold rush. In 1903 he constructed the first two rooms of the family home and planted the first orchards. All of the 2nd generation children born to Britanus and Bertha were born in this home. Keith (3rd generation) and wife Deb raised their children in this home, living there 61 years. Today4th generation Mark, wife Robin, and 5th generation children live in the original home.

1910: Britanus traveled back to Stennes, Norway, a small area in a beautiful fjord. He returned with a brother and sister and a message from neighboring village of Nordang to a young lady in Tacoma, Bertha Nordang, a romance and marriage soon followed.

1941-1966: The eldest of seven children Kermit (and wife Minnie Lee), moved back to the homestead at the time of Britanus's death. Kermit was 2nd generation orchardist from 1941-1966.

1966-2003: Keith and wife Deb, 3rd generation orchardists on the homestead, raising three children (Kristin, and twin sons Kevin and Mark).

2003-present: Keith, Kevin & Mark own and operate Stennes
Orchards, Inc., farming the original homestead plus other orchards the family has purchased. They are presently farming 22 varieties of tree fruits on 150 company owned acres (organic) and 100 leased acres.

2003-present: Three families representing 3 generations today live on the family homestead property.