OTE - Oregon Travel Experience

Malus domestica

Reverend Albert Kelly planted an orchard here on his homestead in 1850. the trees were bought from the pioneer Luelling and Meek Nursery in Milwaukie- the first grafted fruit tree nursery on the west coast. Colonel Henry E. Dosch purchased the property in 1886-87 and restored the health of the neglected orchard. In 1976, the Home Orchard Society declared this tree the oldest, living, grafted apple tree in the …

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Corylus avellana

The first commercial-sized planting of hazelnuts in Oregon occurred when George Dorris planted a five-acre orchard here in 1905. In addition to growing trees for nut production, Dorris started a hazelnut nursery that operated for 40 years and produced an average of 70,000 trees per year. It is estimated that more than half of the trees in Oregon’s hazelnut industry originated from Dorris Ranch nursery stock.

Tree Facts

Approx. height: 30′–40′

Planted …

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Metasequoia glyptostroboides

When fossils of this species were first discovered in 1941 in Japan, the tree was believed to have been long extinct. Fossils were also later discovered in the Columbia Gorge. But in 1944, live trees were found in a remote valley in central China. The Hoyt Arboretum planted seeds from these trees and in 1952, this tree became the first in the Western hemisphere to produce cones in about …

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Ulmus americana

This tree was given to Douglas County by Binger Hermann, U.S. Congressman, around the turn of the century. The occasion for the tree donation is not known positively, but research suggests that it was given at a dedication ceremony for the courthouse, which was rebuilt after a fire on December 7, 1898.

Tree Facts

Height: 71 ft

Circumference: 13′ 4″

Date of dedication: April 6, 1999

Age at dedication: 105 years

Location: Douglas County Courthouse, …

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Umbellularia californica

This grove of Oregon myrtle was protected by the Garden Club of Oregon through the “Save the Myrtlewood” campaign and given to the People of Oregon in 1949. The Garden Club started many conservation projects including “Don’t Be a LitterBug!” campaign and Operation Wildflower on state highways. The Oregon myrtle is a highly valued evergreen hardwood that has played a significant role in Oregon’s coastal economies.

Tree Facts

Age: 38 to …

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Mixed species

This grove of nine trees is a part of the original landscaping planted around the historic 1886 Queen Anne style house of Captain George Flavel. The grove consists of a giant sequoia, ginkgo, Camperdown elm, bay laurel, pear, and four cork elms. Flavel’s love of such trees was inspired from his many voyages to places all over the world. The family gardener, Louis Schultz, planted these trees at the …

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Sequoia sempervirens

This Coast Redwood was planted in 1992 at the site of the only Japanese aerial bombing of the continental United States on September 9, 1942. The tree was planted by the pilot of the submarine-delivered reconnaissance plane, Flight Officer Nobuo Fujita. The bombing of the continental United States was in retaliation for the Doolittle raid on Tokyo in April 1942.

Tree Facts

Planted:

Date of dedication: April 7, 2001

Learn More: Visit Oregon …

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Pinus ponderosa

This majestic pine is the biggest of its species ever recorded. It was a giant before the Oregon Territory was established, enduring centuries of fire, insects, disease, and human impact. Recently half of its crown was lost to weather, making another Ponderosa pine taller, but “Big Tree” remains the largest in circumference.

Tree Facts

Height: 162 ft

Date of dedication: June 5, 2000

Age at dedication: ~500 years

Learn More: Visit Oregon Encyclopedia

Location: La …

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Sequoiadendron giganteum

The Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel were established in Oregon in 1882 by a small group of Sisters from Switzerland. In 1887 construction was started on the Monastery. This giant sequoia was planted in 1893 by Sister Protasia Schindler, one of the first American women to enter the religious community. She found the seedling beside the railroad tracks and planted it very close to the Monastery not knowing what …

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Acer macrophyllum

These two bigleaf maple trees, one on each side of the replica tollgate, are believed to have been planted by Daniel Parker who was the tollgate keeper here from 1883 to 1902. The Barlow Road is a branch of the Oregon National Historic Trail and was opened as a toll road in 1846 by Sam Barlow and Phillip Foster. This was the western-most and last tollgate operated on the …

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