MADERA, Calif. – Highway 99 is no stranger to iconic roadside landmarks.
There’s Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, the giant box of Halo mandarins in Delano, the silhouettes of runners on a highway overpass in McFarland, and – unveiled just recently – the Merced mammoths.
Lesser known – but perhaps more mysterious – is a pair of trees between Fresno and Madera sometimes referred to as “the palm and the pine.” They’ve stood firm for nearly a century in the highway median just south of Madera.
Though their exact origin is unknown, many believe the trees represent the midpoint of the state – the pine facing the north, and the palm to the south. Thousands of cars, semi trucks and freight trains pass by each day. While most drivers likely don’t notice the site, some seek it out and even say it conjures a feeling of home.
But the trees won’t be here for much longer.
A planned freeway expansion requires them to be torn down. And although transportation officials are planning another monument in its place, many locals are disappointed to lose a familiar landmark.
Catching a glimpse of the trees
If you’ve never noticed the two trees before, you’re not alone. Even San Joaquin Valley natives who have driven up and down Highway 99 numerous times can miss the landmark.
But for those paying close attention, the tip of the pine peeks over traffic a mile or two from the site. The palm fronds emerge as cars approach closer.
The trees remain in full view for only about a second before – zip! – they fade into the rear view mirror. The landmark, which stands out so much from the pink and white oleander bushes around it, can inspire a sense of awe, even for those who don’t know its history.
Musicians are among those awed by the trees. Some have even immortalized the trees in folk and country songs, letting their mythology live on.
In a 2020 ballad, country singer Bryan Lanning wrote about “planting my roots where the palm meets the pine.”
Folk singer Danny O’Keefe’s 1970 song “In Northern California” shares the story of an affair between a man and an older woman, in the land where the palm meets the pine.
“She'd left me like she found me right in the nick of time…In Northern California where the palm tree meets the pine,” he wrote.
Earlier this year, a CBS station in Sacramento tracked down O’Keefe, who told them, "I'm sorry they're taking out the trees, but plant more of them. We need trees, more than less."
A highway project that will change a landmark
Soon, however, the place where the palm and the pine meet will completely change.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently announced plans to widen the stretch of the highway where the trees stand from four lanes to six. While the expansion aims to ease traffic along the route, it means the trees need to be taken down.
“It's just going to make the commute a lot better,” said Caltrans spokesperson Larry Johnson. “We have so many people that drive from Madera to Fresno on a daily basis. We have so many trucks that move products and agriculture.”
The department estimates 80,000 cars travel on the highway on a daily basis. Two decades from now, that number could approach 130,000.
“Having that extra lane is just going to be a real benefit for everybody,” Johnson said.
Construction on the highway is set to start at the end of 2025, and is expected to cost around $127 million. The project could take two to three years to complete.
But the project also aims to keep the essence of the landmark alive. Caltrans will plant 15 palms and 15 pines on the side of the highway near where the trees stand now. Johnson said the new grove will have its own irrigation system to help it “thrive for years to come.”
The trees have a long history – and mysterious origins
Caltrans is working with the Historic Highway 99 Association to ensure the trees are effectively memorialized. The non-profit organization is dedicated to preserving the route – including the site of the palm and the pine.
“I've been surprised at how much interest and awareness there has been of the trees,” founder Michael Ballard said.
Ballard, a historian who’s done extensive research to learn about the historic route and the trees, says no one seems to know who put the trees there – or why.
While some believe farmers planted the trees to mark north and south amidst the long rows of crops, the prevailing theory is that they represent the midway point between Mexico and Oregon. (It’s not correct, by the way – the exact center of the state is in North Fork, both north and east of the site in the Madera County foothills.)
Equally mysterious is when the trees appeared. Some local historians believe the site predates Highway 99, which was constructed in 1926. Ballard said the earliest newspaper clipping he could find that mentioned the trees was from the 1920s.
According to Ballard, one of the trees that stands today isn’t even original. In 2005, a windstorm struck down the pine – causing a public uproar to replace it. Caltrans planted a new pine two years later.
“Caltrans has been aware for many years that this is a significant point in local culture and history,” Ballard said.
He believes the proposal to plant the new grove would “carry on the legacy” of the original trees. But Ballard also hopes Caltrans places a memorial sign in the exact place they once stood. Perhaps, he suggested, it could be something similar to the signage placed in Oregon to commemorate the 45th parallel, the halfway point between the Equator and North Pole.
“One way or another, we're going to make sure that something is done there and that it's done right,” Ballard said. “We don't want to see this just go away and just get lost.”
Locals don’t want the site lost either
About five miles south of the trees, at a TravelCenters of America truck stop bustling with activity on a recent afternoon, people waiting for roadtrip snacks and meals from the food court shared their own lore about the palm and the pine.
Inderjit Singh, who owns a local trucking company, was waiting for a chicken sandwich. He said he heard the trees mark the site of a long-gone general store.
Traveler John Parraz drives to Fresno a few times a year from his home in Olympia, Washington, to visit his son, who’s a student at Fresno State. With a soft drink in hand, Parraz said the moment he passes the palm and the pine, he knows he’s only a few miles away from reuniting with his son.
Sharlene Shepherd from Fresno didn’t know about the landmark, despite living in the area for more than 50 years. But once she learned about its history, she was shocked it would be removed. She said she’ll “be sharing [the news] with everybody,” and even wondered if there’s a petition to keep the site in place.
Madera native Jamie Hefner, who helps run a tasting room of wine and spirits inside the truck stop, said she’s driven past the trees “thousands and thousands of times, sometimes two or three times a day.”
The trees conjure up childhood memories, Hefner said, of driving with her father in his Jeep and pickup truck. She, too, was surprised to learn the trees are going to be taken down.
“I really hate to see them go,” she said.
