Not finding the riches he had sought, Porter filled his saddle bags with cones and returned to his nursery in Oregon. Porter cultivated the seeds and planted the seedlings at various sites including the entrance to the Washington County Courthouse. Five trees remain of the original eight that were planted.
These trees are significant to the region by serving as a living legacy left by our pioneer ancestors and providing a link to the rural background of a rapidly growing area.
The trees are located on the grounds of the Washington County Courthouse, 1st Ave. and Main Street, Hillsboro.
Height: Approximately 150'
D.B.H.: 29.8' (largest of specimens)
Age: 120 years
Dedicated: April 11, 1997

4. Gov. Withycombe Redwood (Sequoia giganteum)
James Withycombe served as Oregon's governor from 1914 until his death in 1919. He was one of only two foreign-born Oregon governors. Born in Tavistock, England, he came to Oregon with his parents in 1871 at 17 years of age. He purchased a farm two years later and married Isabel Carpenter on June 5, 1875. He planted this redwood on their wedding day. Gov. Withycombe was known for his vision and commitment to making Oregon one of the country's greatest agricultural states.
The Gov. Withycombe Redwood is located in Washington County approximately 20 feet east of Hwy 219, 300 feet south of the Grabel Road / 219 intersection, 3 miles south of Hillsboro, Oregon.
Height: 121'
Circumference: 35' 10"
Average Crown Spread: 72'
Age: 126 years
Dedicated: July 27, 2002

5. Ewing Young Tree (Quercus garryana)
Ewing Young, fur trapper and trader in the Southwest and Mexico, turned settler in the Chehalem Valley in 1834. He was the first American settler in the Oregon Country who was independent of aid from the Hudson's Bay Company. His death on February 15, 1841, left considerable property and no heirs. This problem created the necessity to form a civil government, which directly led two years later to the Champoeg Meeting and the beginning of the organization of the Provisional Government of Oregon in 1843, the first government by Americans on the Pacific Coast. On May 6, 1846, an acorn was planted on Young's grave near his cabin site by Miranda Bayley and Sidney Smith. The Ewing Young Oak is located 1/4 mile north of Highway 240, 4 miles west of Newberg, Yamhill County.
Circumference: 13' 9"
Average Crown Spread: 88'
Age: 153 years
Dedicated: April 7, 1999

6. Nyberg Chestnut (Castanea sativa)
The Nyberg Chestnut was part of a 150 tree mixed orchard that was planted around 1903 and owned by John Nyberg, a immigrant from Sweden. When Interstate 5 was being built, the Nyberg home and orchard was located on the highway right-of-way and had to be moved and most of the orchard was destroyed. But John Nyberg stood between the tree Due to the efforts of John Nyberg this tree became one of only a few Oregon trees located on the original I-5 right-of-way that was saved from demolition during construction of the highway. The Nyberg Chestnut is located at the Interstate 5 and Nyberg Road interchange at the City of Tualatin in Washington County.
Height: 65'
Circumference: 14'
Crown Spread: 70'
Approximate Age: 100 years
Dedicated: April 13, 2002

7. Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
Although it is now known that Dawn Redwoods graced the landscape of the world's northern temperate regions during the time of the dinosaurs (Late Cretateous), fossils of this species were first discovered in 1941 in Japan. At that time the tree was believed to have been long extinct. But in 1944, live trees were found in a remote valley in central China. Fossils have since been discovered in the Columbia River Gorge. Harvard's Arnold Arboretum arranged for seeds to be collected in China in 1947; these seeds were then dispersed to several arboreta and institutions in the U.S. in 1948. The Hoyt Arboretum was one of the recipients of the seeds and they were planted in 1948. In the fall of 1952, the Hoyt Arboretum's Dawn Redwood became the first in the Western hemisphere to produce cones in about 6 million years. The tree is located near Bray Lane, 4000 SW Fairview Blvd., Portland, Oregon.
Height: 85'
Circumference: 9'
Age: 51 years
Dedicated: April 6, 1999

9. Foster Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
The original start of this lilac was brought from Maine to Oregon in 1843 by Mary Charlotte Foster, wife of Philip Foster, partner with Sam Barlow on the Barlow Road. The Fosters sailed around Cape Horn and Mary Charlotte planted the lilac immediately upon her arrival in Oregon City. She moved it five times, replanting it at each of her homes. It was planted in its current location in 1883. It now stands at the Philip Foster Farm, 29912 S.E. Highway 211, Eagle Creek, Oregon.
Approximate Height: 25'
Approximate Age: 152 years
Dedicated: April 6, 1998

10. Frank Lockyear Memorial Cedar Grove (Thuja plicata)
This grove of western red cedars was planted in 1934, the first of hundreds of tree plantings organized by Lockyear in a life dedicated to reforestation.
Lockyear lead Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other youth organizations in making many major tree plantings throughout the Pacific Northwest. In 1973 he founded the non-profit ReTree International to plant trees worldwide and involve and educate youth about the importance of trees to our planet. Re Tree International spread Lockyear's passion for reforestation to over 50 countries around the world.
In 1991, Lockyear received a Point of Light award from President George Bush. ReTree International survives its founder (1913-2001) and continues to sponsor and organize tree planting projects.
Location: From North Fork Reservoir, go 7.6 miles east on Forest Service Road 4610, then north .35 miles on Forest Service Road 4613 to where the north fork of the Clackamas River crosses under the road. The Grove is about 100 yards northwest of the road.
Height: 80' - 100'
Circumference: 50" - 90"
Age: 70 years
Dedicated: October 22, 2004