The History of the Cherry Trees: A Lesson in Persistence

On March 27, 1912, first lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted two cherry trees by the side of the Tidal Basin.

Only a few people witnessed that small act, which has grown into the internationally known National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The two original Yoshino trees still stand near the John Paul Jones Memorial by 17th St., SW, according to the National Park Service. The National Park Service offers a fascinating history of the trees.

The idea of bringing cherry trees to Washington was first recorded by Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, who approached the U.S. government in 1885 with her plan after returning from Japan. There was no action on the matter, but every year for 24 years Scidmore approached each new U.S. Army superintendent of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds with no luck.

Scidmore is probably best known for her cherry blossom idea, but was also an accomplished American travel writer and photographer, according to Britannica.com.

She later approached first lady Taft, who responded to her 1909 letter in two days' time by saying that it was a splendid idea. The next day, plans to bring cherry trees to Washington were in the works.

However, those 2,000 cherry trees donated in the name of the City of Tokyo were found in January 1910 to be infested with bugs and were destroyed.

A second shipment of 3,020 trees arrived in Washington on March 26, 1912, and the first two were planted on March 27 of that year.