Cherry Blossoms are at their peak and there are a host of festival events happening during the next ten days. For information regarding the Cherry Blossom festival and parade, click here.
On March 27, 1912, Cherry Blossom (Sakura) trees were planted along the Tidal Basin in Washington DC. They were a gift of Friendship and Goodwill from the Japanese Government. The Japanese were thankful for the role the United States played in brokering The Treaty of Portsmouth which formally ended the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05.
But the original idea for bringing the beautiful Sakura to Washington DC came from Eliza Scidmore. She worked as a travel writer and photographer. In 1885, she fell in love with the Cherry Blossom trees while visiting her diplomat brother in Japan and thought they would look lovely around the marshy area that had yet to be developed (later to be the National Mall and Tidal Basin). It took her almost 20 years to have her dream realized.
It wasn’t until she caught the attention of Dr. David Fairchild that the plan starting to take shape…
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Displaced Beachbums 
Hello Patti! I’m FINALLY catching up on WP blogs!
Thank you for re-posting this and reminding me how the Cherry Trees arrived in the US. It’s been years since I’ve seen them. You always remind me how much I need to get back to DC to explore.
Hope all is well and that you are enjoying the planning for your next trip!
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