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Washington Christmas tree makes 5,000-mile journey to D.C.

By Christie Sumrall
Published  November 25, 2013 6:09pm PST
FOX 13 Seattle



WASHINGTON -- After a cross-country tour of more than 5,000 miles, a Christmas tree from Washington's Colville National Forest arrived Monday at the nation's Capitol.

The 88-foot Engelmann Spruce traveled on a tractor-trailer through Idaho, down to Texas, east through Tennessee and then to Pennsylvania before reaching its final destination.

Each year a different national forest is chosen to provide the Capitol Christmas Tree, or "The People's Tree." The tradition began in 1964 when House Speaker John W. McCormack, D-Mass., placed a live Christmas tree on the Capitol lawn. The tree lived three years.

This is the second time that Washington state has provided the Capitol Christmas Tree. The 2006 tree was a Pacific silver fir from the Olympic National Forest.

Read more about the history of the tree here.