I was able to locate additional websites that highlight this tree's significance. One of these websites tells us:
Oregon Heritage Tree: Hager Grove pear
The fact that it even stands is a miracle, at least in the mind of Maynard C. Drawson, tree lover, history buff and member of the Oregon Heritage Tree Program committee.
"It had no right to remain any more than the others," he says of the tree that once was part of a large orchard that flourished in the fertile valley before freeways, Home Depots and traffic lights took over.
The orchard, planted by Benjamin Franklin Munkre in the mid-1800s, bordered a park and campground, where earlier in this century Salem families congregated for all sorts of social events.
"It used to be a big, big deal to have Sunday school gatherings, baptisms and picnics here," recalls Drawson, who was one of those who sat creekside eating fried chicken and potato salad.
"There used to be a covered bridge right upstream there," he adds a bit wistfully.
Drawson is absolutely dotty about trees. People roll down their car windows as they pass him and yell out, "Are you going on about trees again, Maynard?" He shouts back proudly, "You bet I am."
As the instigator behind the Oregon Heritage Tree Program, Drawson can spring forth at will with tales that reveal the trees' history as well as the state's. Sometimes he feels terribly alone in the quest to keep history alive and meaningful for new generations. But that only makes him push harder for programs such as Oregon's Heritage Trees.
There are now 50 trees with heritage designation and more on the launching pad. The Hager Grove pear "is the biggest pear tree in the state of Oregon -- take my word for it because I've checked pretty thoroughly," says Drawson, who also lists it as the oldest. "It's so healthy and so big, people think it's an oak."
But biggest and oldest is not enough to land a tree on the list. It also must have a story. Besides standing as a reminder of a small-town gathering spot, the pear represents the strength and stamina of the family who planted it.
As they readied for the trip from Missouri to Oregon, Benjamin Franklin Munkre became concerned about his wife's ill health and so built a coffin to take with them. All across the Oregon Trail, she sat atop the coffin, where she had stored linens and other household essentials.
Not only did Mrs. Munkre make it to Oregon, but she ended up outliving her husband and burying him in the coffin meant for her.
You can catch a glimpse of the Hager Grove pear tree on the north side of Oregon 22, east of Interstate 5. Unfortunately, access is dangerous and cars should not pull off the freeway there.
What Makes a Heritage Tree?
Heritage trees are often big and beautiful, but most important, they are living memorials to Oregon history.
Size alone isn't enough to earn the designation; a tree must have a history that gives it statewide or national significance.
"Our mission is to recognize heritage trees and to emphasize their importance in our lives, culturally, socially and economically," says Julie Porter, former program coordinator. "Trees play a vital role."
An all-volunteer statewide committee meets three times a year, reviews applications and decides which trees should be assigned heritage status. Each year during Oregon Arbor Week, newly designated heritage trees are commemorated with pomp and circumstance.
The program, established in November 1995, doesn't protect trees by law; it only lets the public know they're special.
"When people know, they'll take care of them," program founder Maynard Drawson says. "We lose so many trees because people just don't know."
For its kind, this is one of the giants of the tree world. Thousands of people drive Highway 22 past this tree every day, yet it goes largely unnoticed except in the spring when it is in full blossom (13K - color). Planted in 1850, it is one of the oldest and largest pear trees in Oregon. It grows on state land and truly deserves the title of Heritage Tree.
Once a camping playground, Hager's Grove occupied what is now a number of commercial enterprises and four lane highways. An orchard covered most of the area and the popular creekside attraction was entered through a long lane down through the fruit trees.
Currently all the trees are gone and only the lone pear tree survives. When it was nominated as a Heritage Tree, a letter was received coincidental to the application. Mrs. Arlene Jensen wrote, "I don't know if you would be interested or not, but my great-great grandfather planted a tree out by the freeway many years ago. I don't know what kind it was, but it became part of what was known as Hager's Grove."
Mrs. Jensen noted that her distant grandfather's surname was Munkre. The Munkre family came to Oregon from Missouri in 1847 with a large family and a very ill mother. She was in such poor health that Mr. Munkre brought a coffin for her in case the hardships of the long journey caused her frail body to expire. However, not only did Mrs. Munkre survive the Oregon Trail, but it is said she outlived her husband and buried him in the coffin carried from Missouri for her.
The name Munkre is now honored by the street spelling "Munker". Letter writer Mrs. Arlene Jensen is wife of the noted arctic expert Professor Paul Jensen. The Arctic Museum in Monmouth's Western Oregon State College currently displays his collections.
The Hager Grove Pear Tree is located at the northeast corner of I-5 intersecting Highway 22.