Oregon Travel Experience is pleased to announce the initial phase of the Grove of the States Restoration Project will begin on Monday, August 22, 2016, at the southbound French Prairie Rest Area (I-5 Milepost 281, south of Wilsonville). French Prairie is Oregon’s busiest rest area, with approximately 2 million travelers a year stopping on each side. The Grove of the States is believed to be the oldest arboretum of state trees in the US and was originally a collection of trees from 53 US states and territories. The Grove was conceived and implemented by former Oregon Attorney General Robert Thornton in the mid-1960s as a way to honor Lady Bird Johnson’s Highway Beautification Act.
