In 1796 John McIntosh, Dundela, Ontario, Canada, discovered an apple tree on his land which bore fruit of uncommon quality.

In 1796, when he was clearing underbrush on his farm, he found a clump of about twenty young apple trees. No one knew how those trees came to be there, although it is probable that some passing travelers - Indians perhaps - had camped on the land once and the trees had grown from the seeds of apples they had eaten.
After a few days, John McIntosh transplanted the seedlings to a clearing close to his house. After a few years, the trees began to bear fruit and it was discovered that the apples were of different varieties. But the trees did not thrive and soon all but one had died. The one remaining tree proved to be very hardy and produced apples of a good size, excellent flavor and a beautiful red color. These apples became famous in that part of the county and were known as "McIntosh Red".