I-5 CHRISTMAS TREE STORY REVISITED
REDDING LIFESTYLES
December 15th, 2008
Anyone who has traveled I-5 North between Red Bluff and Cottonwood has probably noticed the scrawny tree near the rest stop decorated to the hilt every year for the holidays. This tree, and the reason it has been decorated for 40+ years has quite a fascinating story behind it that is retold from time to time. Here’s my reiteration of that story, as told by Doni Greenberg 10 years ago in the Record Searchlight.
When I-5 was being built in the early 1960’s, Cottonwood resident Carrie Bogue, who was fond of all trees according to Doni, asked Cal Trans for permission to relocate the tree away from the new path of the interstate highway. She was denied. The freeway was built, and the tree died shortly thereafter. A few years later, Carrie Bogue died at the age of 93, in 1966.
In the Spring of 1967, Ruth and Cary Chadwick, good friends of Carrie, noticed the tree she had tried to save leafed out and appeared to have been reborn. “It’s Carrie!”, they said. Carrie had told friends, including the Chadwicks of Cottonwood, “that when she died, she would come back any way she wanted.” She went on to say she’d like to come back as a tree! Could it be?
They were so excited about this, they decided to decorate it for the holidays. It has been called “The Carrie Tree” ever since by locals that know the history of the tree. And the tree has been decorated every year since. When the Chadwicks got too old and the tree got too tall, the decorating was passed down to Dale and Larry Mclure of Cottonwood in 1993. I don’t know if they still are the ones decorating the tree today. If anyone knows, feel free to comment.
What a great story and it makes me wonder if reincarnation is possible. If only trees could speak!
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BRAD GARBUTT
REALTOR/BROKER ASSOCIATE
REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS GMAC
QUARTER CENTURY LOCAL REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCE
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