This year a representative from Minnesota has the honor of being "The People's Christmas Tree" on the lawn of the Capitol in Washington, DC. It is called that because it always comes from public lands (this year in cooperation with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe near Walker, Minnesota) and is decorated and transported by private donors.
On October 29, the 88-foot, 13,000 lb. white spruce from The Chippewa National Forest was felled by a lumberjack, placed in a wooden cradle on a semi, and taken to Bemidji State University. There volunteers tied up and wrapped the branches to ready it for a 30 city tour and 2000 mile drive to Washington, DC. (Photo from the US Forest Service)
Its first stop on the tour was Itasca State Park where it was ceremoniously watered from the headwaters of the Mississippi River. I was hoping to see it pass between St Paul and Rochester, waited for quite awhile on the route, but I somehow missed it.
The tree was lit with multicolored lights on the West Lawn of the Capitol last Tuesday night. Ten thousand ornaments cover the branches, handmade by Minnesota school children. Why 10,000? Because it comes from the "Land of Ten Thousand Lakes"!
(This photo was posted on Twitter. Crossing my fingers it's not copyrighted....)
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Beautiful tree, a lot of work.
ReplyDeleteHoorah for Minnesota! Point of clarification, tho, if it is taken from Leech Lake lands how can it be considered "public lands?" It is a truly magnificent tree!
ReplyDeleteFrom the articles I read, it's not exactly clear. Definitely from Chippewa National Forest, but somehow in cooperation with the Reservation. Do they converge somewhere? I don't know! Maybe that's clearer now.
DeleteIndeed, a truly magnificent tree with a wonderful explanation.
ReplyDeleteGreat honour for the state of 10,000 lakes, and a magnificent tree to grace the White House lawns, it is.
ReplyDeleteAussie Col
PS: So much for that storm of yesterday!
Cythia it is a great tradition. In Europe in Vatican city there is a big Christmas Tree which is a gift from some European courtry..
ReplyDeleteCynthia, nice post and the tree is really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt always fun to see where the tree comes from each year. It's a beauty!
ReplyDeleteSo now if I see this tree on the TV I will know where it has come from and why it is called 'the people's Christmas tree'.
ReplyDeleteSimply stunning. Love that you shared the background of the tree also.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos of the People's tree!
ReplyDeleteHappy Week,
artmusedog and carol
Thanks for the info! We missed going up to the Park to see the send off. I would liked to have been there. I did see some photos of the ornaments that Native school children made:)
ReplyDeleteSince I live in the area, The Chippewa National Forest and The Leech Lake Tribe share borders...and both aim to preserve the land and the history of the land. The National Forest is Public Land...I think about 50 % of that forest is water!
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ReplyDeleteCynthia mate.
ReplyDeleteI think it is about time to show the Australian Christmas tree that will take "pride of place" in the
grounds of the White House 2014.
I think ( tongue somewhat now being bitten and "ouch") that it appears every year since the ANZUS treaty but
is never seen.
Maybe just enlarge it for your readers to see and appreciate our allegiance of the alliance.
Cheers
Aussie "First Fleeter Member" Col
Thanks for educating me about the Peoples Tree.. Sorry about my previous comment. I muddled you up with Marie from London.
ReplyDeleteThat is certainly a fabulous tree, and an interesting story to go along with it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous tree!
ReplyDeleteInteresting background - and a great socialist principle?! It's certainly a handsome specimen. And beautifully decorated - a credit to the First Lady.
ReplyDeleteA long way to go for the tree, we mostly get one from Germany or Norway here. It looks beautiful in Washington in the end.
ReplyDeleteI remember stories in the news when I was a kid that a tree from Norway was always sent to the UK, to be set up in London, in memory of the connection between the two countries in WWII. Seems like a similar made.
ReplyDeleteCheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
That is good to know where the tree comes from and how it's transported to it's destination. Gosh it looks pretty.
ReplyDeleteThat tree is utterly gorgeous and lovely to hear the story behind it x
ReplyDeleteI always wondered where the People's Christmas Tree comes from... and didn't realize all the details that go into its picking, packing and travel preparations! This Minnesota spruce is just perfect and looks so beautiful! Thank you for the background :)
ReplyDeleteI loved this story! What a Christmas tree! 88 feet!
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful that the tree is 'real'. We have a big tree in the square outside our City Hall each year. When I was a child it was a real pine tree. By the 1980s when my children were born, it was artificial and quite ugly in my opinion. Now I see that they advertise that it's the largest tree whose lights are powered by solar...I guess it's reusable each year.
ReplyDelete