Ledger-Dispatch

By Bethany A. Monk (bmonk@ledger-dispatch.com) =

=

This Scotch pine tree was planted by = John and=20 Joyce Jackson from Delaware, Ohio. The tree is outside the Jackson = Civic=20 Center and was planted in 1991 as part of a family legacy; the = couple=20 planted trees in 44 states across the United States in cities, = towns or=20 counties named Jackson, or Jacksonville.

Photo by: Bethany A. = Monk

John Jackson is pictured in this photo, = dated=20 Feb. 11, 1991, planting one of the five Scotch pine trees he and = his wife,=20 Joyce, planted outside the Jackson Civic Center as part of a = family legacy=20 project. To date, only one of the trees has survived.

Photo by: Courtesy to the Ledger=20 Dispatch
Their kids think they're = "kooky," but all=20 the same, they're thrilled.

This is what Joyce Jackson said when = asked=20 what her children thought of her and her husband's tree planting legacy = to honor=20 the family's name.

In 1991, the couple, who now live in Delaware, = Ohio,=20 ventured out on a unique journey: To plant five trees, in honor of the = five=20 people in their family, within each city of Jackson throughout the = country. In=20 Amador County's Jackson, Joyce and her husband, John, planted five = Scotch pine=20 trees just outside the Jackson Civic Center. They arrived in Amador = County=20 unannounced, Joyce said, remembering tying yellow ribbons around the = tiny trees,=20 about 1-foot-tall, in honor of Desert Storm.

It took them 10 = years, but=20 John and Joyce planted five trees in all 50 states. They even planted = two bonus=20 trees; one at the capitol building in Washington, D.C., and one near the = Hermitage Home of President Andrew Jackson in Nashville, Tenn. =

On=20 Wednesday, the couple visited Amador County's Jackson for the first time = in 17=20 years. They were sad to see that four of the five Scotch pines they had = planted=20 outside the civic center didn't make it, but happy that at least one did = survive. With the help of the city of Jackson, which split the costs = with Joyce=20 and John, the couple was able to purchase four small trees during their = visit.=20 The trees were planted Thursday in the city's downtown area near the = parking lot=20 where Mel and Faye's Diner used to be, said Mike Daly, Jackson city=20 manager.

He said he was surprised when John and Joyce gave him a = call=20 last month to tell him their story and ask if they could visit. He had = never=20 heard their story, but said he thought it was a great way to "leave a = legacy."=20 On Wednesday, he met with the couple and learned more about their = adventures.=20

"They had put plaques on the original five trees they planted in = Jackson, but the floods (of 1997) probably washed them away," Daly=20 said.

The highlight of the project has been meeting and = interacting with=20 the people of each city or town they had visited over the 10-year span, = John=20 said. "Everyone loves their hometown no matter where they are," he said. = "They=20 all seemed very appreciative of us coming to their town, like we were = doing=20 something rewarding not only for us, but for them."

The couple's = first=20 stop in 1991 was in Washington, and their final stop was in = Oregon.

"We=20 would call the city mayor or city manager and they would put us in = contact with=20 a city planner of communication department and they would choose where = they=20 wanted us to plant," Joyce said, when asked about the tree-planting = process in=20 each city. The trees they planted were indigenous to each respective = area, Joyce=20 said. Some cities and towns donated or paid for the = trees.

Because only=20 44 of the 50 states have a Jackson, a Jacksonville or a Jackson County, = John and=20 Joyce decided to plant trees in cities of those states that share the = first=20 names of their children. So they packed up and traveled to both = Christine, Neb.;=20 and Christine, N.D.; as well as Robert, Idaho; St. John, Ariz.; Joyce, = Wash.;=20 and Stevens Village, Ala.

"We love it," Joyce said when asked = about her=20 perceptions of Amador County. Her great-grandfather was one of the first = to come=20 to Sutter Creek during the Gold Rush, she added, noting her special = connection=20 to the county. On Wednesday, "I went to every single store (in Sutter = Creek).=20 It's a really nice town. The people are really nice."

The couple = is now=20 researching and writing a book about their journeys, Joyce said. They = will write=20 about each city or town they visit and include pictures from when they = first=20 planted the trees and pictures of the trees now.

It's helpful, = John said,=20 that there are several newspaper articles, TV and radio interviews that = help=20 chronicle their experience.

The project's idea came from Joyce, = who=20 "wanted to do something that would leave our imprints behind," her = husband said.=20 "It's something our family could look at and feel like their family is = rooted=20 all across the country. ... It's a connection for the rest of our lives = and=20 maybe beyond."

Bethany A. = Monk