• Historic trip for U.S. Capitol tree, Kenworth W990

    The Capitol Christmas Tree made its way east from Oregon's Willamette Valley on a historic reverse route marking the Oregon Trail.
    Nov. 22, 2018
    3 min read

    Every year it's different, and this year was special. The Capitol Christmas Tree made its way east from Oregon's Willamette Valley to its appearance last week in Independence, MO, on a reverse route marking the Oregon Trail—it's 175 years since 1,000 settlers in wagons headed west in the Great Migration of 1843. 

    From Independence, which was a gathering point for those large-wheeled wagon trains, the tree then made a stop in St. Louis before continuing on through Ohio and into Maryland. The tour this year—you might call it the "Reverse O.T."—brought the tree from Oregon to Idaho, Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, and now Missouri.

    All told, the tree will have traveled nearly 3,000 miles when it reaches the U.S. Capitol in a few days. It's a special trip that's taken a special truck: the brand-new Kenworth W990 pulling it on a flatbed trailer came from The Papé Group, a major sponsor of the tree's tour this year.

    Doing the honors hauling the tree was Central Oregon Truck Co. (COTC). Rick Williams, the company's CEO, Phil Taylor, VP of maintenance, and Driver Safety and Services Director Brad Aimone piloted the Kenworth along with other COTC drivers. The flatbed carrier hauls freight across the 48 continental states and Canada.

    This is the 54th Capitol Christmas Tree, a.k.a. "The People's Tree." Of the six trees that the Oregon Forest Service nominated this year, a Noble Fir was chosen—the same as the very first of these in 1964. This 80-ft. fella came from Willamette National Forest and was prepped/ protectively packaged in Sweet Home, OR, which included getting a 200-gal. water bladder to keep it hydrated along the way.

    The Kenworth W990 that hauled the tree has special graphics with a Christmas tree next to the U.S. Capitol and reading "From the Oregon Trail to the Capitol Steps." The Kenworth has a 76-in. mid-roof sleeper, Paccar MX-13 diesel rated at 455 hp. and 1,650 lbs.-ft. of torque, and 12-speed automated transmission. Inside, it's Limited Edition—this truck got the works.

    This is the fifth consecutive year Kenworth has provided one of its new trucks to transport the tree. "We’re not just moving a tree, we're celebrating tradition and kicking off the holiday season by transporting a tree specifically selected to stand tall outside the U.S. Capitol building," said Kurt Swihart, marketing director at Kenworth.

    "It's why so many people come out to view the tree along the route," he added. "It's special.”

    Go to www.CapitolChristmasTree.com for more info or click here to check out news coverage from the tree's tour stops from Oregon to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland Sun., Nov. 25.

    About the Author

    Aaron Marsh

    Aaron Marsh is a former senior editor of FleetOwner, who wrote for the publication from 2015 to 2019. 

    Voice your opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!

    Sign up for our free eNewsletters

    Recent

    American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
    interstate highways plan 1947
    What do you know about the roads that make trucking possible? Test your U.S. Interstate System knowledge in this FleetOwner Fleets Explained quiz.
    Patton Logistics Group
    Patton Logistics Group includes Watsontown Trucking (No. 248 on the FleetOwner 500: For-Hire list), Patton Warehousing, and Patton Logistics.
    FleetOwner 500 for-hire carrier adds dozens of trucks, hundreds of trailers, maintenance facilities, and much more warehousing real estate and potential for its Patton Logistics...
    ID 24517292 © Dreammasterphotographer | Dreamstime.com
    continuity during an outage concept
    Do you have a business continuity plan in place? Every hour counts in trucking. Being prepared for disaster recovery can be the difference between keeping customers and losing...