Kent Jackson, manager of Capitol Reef's historic fruit orchards, recently received a service award for his 20 years of work in the national park.

Jackson began working at Capitol Reef in 1973 as a temporary technician, then ran the orchards at Fruita, which were owned by his father, Worthen.Jackson tended the park's nearly 3,000 cherry, apricot, peach, pear, plum, walnut and nectarine trees.

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During his years at Capitol Reef, Jackson has watched the park grow from a remote out-of-the-way destination to a major stop on the Colorado Plateau "Grand Circle" park tour circuit.

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