Tree sales span six decades

Raymond Robinson remembers when Robinson Tree Farms grew thousands of Scotch pine Christmas trees on its 50 acres on Montana 35.

“The best Scotch pine in the world was raised right here in the valley because of our growing conditions,” he said.

As the fickle public continues to flit to new tree favorites, however, Robinson and his brothers follow the trends, recently buying trees such as Nordman, noble, grand and plantation firs. The Robinsons still cut a few of their own and also buy Montana trees from Native American cutters.

As years have passed, artificial trees have cut margins thinner and thinner but his brothers still sell fresh trees in Utah and Washington on lots inherited from their father. Robinson maintains a tree lot in Kalispell in the parking lot between Super 1 Foods and ShopKo.

 A real sign of the times, Robinson spoke from the cab of his truck on the job in North Dakota.

His wife, Diane, daughter Abby and future son-in-law Nolan Wade manage the lot employees during the week and work there on weekends.

“I’m like a quarter of the population of Williston — from the Northwest,” Robinson said. “I’m here trying to make a house payment.”

Robinson, who also has a real estate license, said he started driving for JMac in North Dakota just after last Christmas. He was hauling cuttings, the dirt from holes from drilling areas, to a disposal site as he spoke by cellphone about his family’s long history in the Christmas tree business.

“Dad started the business,” he said. “He ran away from home when he was 16 and living in South Dakota. He went to see my great Uncle Charlie in Detroit.”

His father, Ralph Robinson, entered a boxing contest there around 1946 or 1947 that offered a prize of $100 to anyone who could survive three rounds with the local champion.

“Dad was a Golden Gloves boxer,” Robinson said. “He knocked him out in 60 seconds.”

Because the fight promoter didn’t have the $100, his Uncle Charlie, a desk sergeant with the Detroit police, gave him an ultimatum. Either pay the $100 or turn over his 400 Christmas trees to nephew Ralph or go to jail for fraud.

“That’s how he got started,” Robinson said with a laugh.

His father’s connection to Kalispell came through his Uncle Bill in Bigfork who told Robinson’s dad about a great source of trees in Eureka, then known as the Christmas tree capital of the world. Along with trees in Eureka, Ralph found Darlene in the Flathead Valley on that trip.

“He came up in ’52 and bought his first semi load in Eureka,” Robinson said. “That’s when mom and dad met up and got engaged. He came back after Christmas and they got married. If it wasn’t for Christmas trees, I wouldn’t be here.”

Robinson, the first born, had four brothers and two sisters. One brother has since died.

He recalls working in some fashion with Christmas trees since he was 4 years old. Beginning in the seventh grade and until his parents died, Robinson, now 59, went with his mother and dad to help sell trees in Salt Lake City.

“My three brothers still go to Salt Lake City where I spent 30 years,” he said. “I let my brothers have my tree lot there. They go down and they do good.”

Until seven years ago, he sold from his father’s former Christmas tree lot in Havre. Robinson started his Kalispell tree lot in 1996.

“We still have probably a dozen people who come from there over here to buy trees from us for themselves and their friends,” he said.

 Robinson was off from his job in North Dakota long enough to help the family set up the lot to open on Black Friday. The family also uses the lot to collect for Toys for Tots and food for Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry to honor their Marine son.

Sales started slowly in the first couple of weeks due to the rain and an unusually early Thanksgiving.

“My wife said we had a good weekend,” he said on Tuesday, Dec. 11. “Usually the first two weekends of December are the busiest.”

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, natural trees have experienced a resurgence of popularity. Robinson said his experience has shown that people return to fresh trees every four to six years.

He laments the passing of the day when his family could go out and just cut their homegrown trees to sell.

“What me and my brothers are still doing — going out and cutting our own merchandise — is kind of a dying industry,” he said.

He hopes for a strong economic comeback in the Flathead Valley so that he doesn’t end up retiring in North Dakota. If his job would allow the time off, Robinson would love to be home selling Christmas trees to longtime customers.

“It gets in your blood,” he said. “I’ll probably, if I’m lucky enough, I’ll die doing it just like my father did. If you pass away doing what you enjoy most in life, it’s good.”

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.