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ask.heather@mail.house.gov
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In Washington DC
442 Cannon House
Office Building
Washington, DC
20515
202-225-6316 Phone
202-225-4975 Fax |
In Albuquerque
20 First Plaza NW
Suite 603
Albuquerque, NM
87102
505-346-6781 Phone
505-346-6723 Fax |  |
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Congresswoman Heather Wilson, First Congressional District of New Mexico
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| A Gift from the Land of Enchantment |
November 29, 2005 |
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ABOVE: The Capitol tree this year is a gift from New Mexico!
Workers string lights on the 65-foot tree for the tree-lighting ceremony this Thursday. New Mexico also provided the Capitol tree back in 1991. Christmas at the Capitol!The regular practice of displaying a Christmas tree on the Capitol grounds is, historically speaking, relatively recent. However, correspondence from 1919 in the records of the Architect of the Capitol show that a Christmas tree was purchased that year. It was not until 1964 that a procedure was established including a tree-lighting ceremony.
BELOW: A companion tree from the Buchanan Tree Farm in Pie Town, New Mexico, decorates Congresswoman Wilson`s office.
The tree is on display this season in the entrance to Wilson`s office in the historic Cannon House Office Building. Many of the decorations are handmade by New Mexico elementary children.
 LEFT: New Mexico`s gift to the nation is outlined against the National Mall. This view of the top of the Engelmann Spruce from Santa Fe National Forest is from the Capitol steps with the Washington Monument just visible in the lower left background.
In 1963, House Speaker John W. McCormack suggested to J. George Stewart, Architect of the Capitol, that a Christmas tree be placed on the Capitol grounds. A live 24-foot Douglas fir was purchased for $700 from Buddies Nurseries of Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, and was planted on the West Front lawn. Each year through 1967 this tree was decorated and a tree-lighting ceremony was held. After a severe wind storm in the spring of 1967 and root damage, the tree died in 1968. The 1968 Christmas tree was made from two white pines from Finxburg, Maryland, and was 30 feet tall. In 1969, the tree was a 40-foot white pine from Westminster, Maryland.
Since 1970, the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service has provided the trees. (Source: Architect of the Capitol)
In a few days, the nighttime view will again be something like this photo of last year`s tree. (Architect of the Capitol)
New Mexico Native Arrives at U.S. Capitol to Be This Year`s Official Holiday Tree
By Michael Coleman, Journal Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON— The holidays on Capitol Hill this year will have the unmistakable imprint of New Mexico, thanks to a 65-foot Engelmann spruce tree from the Santa Fe National Forest that arrived Monday.
After a tour of 18 New Mexico towns and a cross-country trip, the official Capitol Holiday Tree rolled into Washington under cloudy skies. It took three weeks, a huge tractor-trailer rig and 10 people, including three police officers, to escort the tree from New Mexico to the nation`s capital.
The tractor-trailer hauling the spruce had the words "Capitol Holiday Tree 2005 — A Gift from the Land of Enchantment" splashed across it. The logos of dozens of New Mexico sponsors also were visible to cars that passed the truck as it rumbled to D.C.
All along the way, people wanted to know more about the spruce and the state that provided it, U.S. Forest Service officials said.
"Everywhere we stopped, we had people coming toward the tree or taking pictures; they were even taking pictures on the highway," said Dolores Maese, a spokeswoman for the Santa Fe National Forest who made the journey. "It was nice. People just wanted to be a part of it."
Sixty-five companion trees from New Mexico also made the trip. Those trees will decorate various federal buildings, including the U.S. Supreme Court and New Mexico congressional delegation offices.
The U.S. Capitol tree, initially 83 feet tall before being cut to 65 feet to meet the Capitol`s requirements, was plucked from an altitude of 8,500 feet in the Santa Fe National Forest, 24 miles east of Cuba. The giant spruce weighs about 14,000 pounds.
Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., walked over from his office to greet U.S. Forest Service workers who drove the tree to Washington.
He said hundreds of New Mexico schoolchildren made thousands of ornaments that will adorn the tree during the holidays. The ornaments celebrate New Mexico heritage and culture.
The spruce will perch on the Capitol`s west lawn, facing across the National Mall toward the Washington Monument. U.S. Capitol architect Alan Hantmann said it will take three days to get the tree dressed up and ready for holiday viewing.
An official lighting ceremony with U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is scheduled for Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. EST. Special LED lights will be used to help give the tree its twinkle, a nod to efficiency in an age of high energy prices.
Hantmann said the New Mexico spruce was selected for its "branching habits, symmetry and good, healthy color."
"It`s truly the people`s tree because it comes from a different state in the union each year," he said.
Actually, New Mexico also provided the tree in 1991. That tree came from the Carson National Forest. |
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