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Family leaves legacy of trees Photo by Steve Johnson Joyce and John Jackson planted five trees in Jacksonville Monday morning to culminate their quest to plant trees in all 50 states in towns bearing the family name. Jacksons plant greenery in namesake communities By PAUL FATTIG JACKSONVILLE -- It was only fitting that John and Joyce Jackson ended their epic journey here on the first day of spring. This is Jackson County, after all. And Jackson Creek flows through this picturesque hamlet. Call it a triple whammy for the Texas residents who have spent the past 10 years planting trees in each state in towns bearing the family name. Oregon was the last state where they planted trees. "I'm kind of sorry to see it end," John Jackson said after he helped plant five trees in the Beekman Native Plant Arboretum. "We had a lot of fun doing it. We met a lot of people. We've been to about every Jackson there is." In the 11 states that have no burgs called Jackson, they used a family member's first name. That took them to places like Joyce, Wash.; Stevens Village, Alaska; Roberts, Idaho; and Christine River, Del. The latter three were selected for their three grown children. Beginning in 1991, the Jacksons began traveling to five states a year to plant five trees in each state. They will plant burr oaks near the reflecting pools at the nation's capital in Washington, D.C., on May 1 to end their mission. During Monday's ceremony, a flock of white homing pigeons owned by Jody Taina of Applegate were released. An actor portraying pioneer Cornelius Beekman was on hand. And a welcoming letter from Jacksonville Mayor Jim Lewis was read. Lewis was in a conference in Washington, D.C. The five trees planted included a grand fir, western hemlock, mountain hemlock, red alder and white alder. The trees were selected by Jacksonville resident Alan Horobin, a semi-retired landscaper who started the arboretum. "The idea was to leave something behind that will survive into the next century," explained John Jackson, 58, an executive with a trucking firm in Houston. "We also like to travel. This gave us a reason to visit some places we wouldn't ordinarily get to. "We hope it encourages other people to be aware of the environment and conservation practices," he added. "We hope people would plant more trees in their own localities." As residents of Kingwood, a suburb of Houston, the Jacksons don't have much room to plant trees. "We're not tree-planting experts, or environmentalists per se," he said. "This is just a way to express ourselves. We believe in trees." Trees are good for the environment as well as for timber and other uses, he noted. "We felt this was a good idea that fits us," he said. "It's also proven to be a tremendous way to get around to see our country." His wife agreed. "The people we met across the whole country are really great," she said. "Everybody in each town we visited loved their town." At each site, the Jacksons depended on townsfolk like Horobin to decide where the trees would be planted. "Coming into a town, we know nothing about the layout of the town," Joyce Jackson said. "The local people know where the trees should go." In the state of Pennsylvania, the unincorporated town of Jackson was so small they had to plant the trees in a resident's back yard. Stevens Village near the Arctic Circle in Alaska was the most remote town they visited. "We couldn't get a bush plane to carry all our weight," he said. "We had to take a boat about 25 miles down the Yukon (River). We had to spend the night at a fish camp." They planted white spruce. "It's so far up north that at maturity the trees will only be eight feet tall," he said. But they figure the trees will be part of their legacy for generations to come. "The circle is complete now," Joyce Jackson said, adding they plan on writing a book about their experience. Jacksonville may not be the final chapter. "We're trying to figure out what to do next," her husband said. "My company was just bought up by a Canadian company. So I'm exploring the Canadian provinces for Jackson names. And maybe we'll go across and do the United Kingdom." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA