The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree was on display in the Old Mill District in Bend on Monday, where crowds showed up to see it and sign a banner on the trailer carrying the tree from where it was harvested in the Willamette National Forest to the nation’s capital. The 70-foot-tall noble fir will be stopping in more than 25 communities as it traverses the 3,000-mile path from Oregon to Washington, D.C., a journey that commemorates the 175th anniversary of the Oregon Trail, according to organizers of the project.

Since 1970, a different national forest has been chosen each year to provide the Christmas tree for the U.S. Capitol Building. Oregon was previously selected in 2002, when a Douglas fir from the Umpqua National Forest had the honor.

The tree will be displayed on the west lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., with a public tree-lighting ceremony in early December.

— Bulletin staff report