The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-04-07
COL EN- Anniversary
FALLS ON APRIL %
J. Sterling Morton Inauguarated
First Observance In Tree
less Nebraska, 1872; Schools
Throughout Country Making
Plans For Celebrations and
There. Will Be Tree Planting
In Spring and Fall.

4 washington, ~. W. April IL Hr
+ fiftieth anniversary of the first Ar
Dor Day is April %. The month
brings also the ninetieth anniver-
sary of the birth of the father OF
Arbor Day; the fiftieth anniversary
of the establishment of the famous
Arnold Arboretum; and the fortieth
anniversary of the founding of the
American Forestry Association, at
Cincinnati.
]. Sterling Morton inaugurated
the first 'Arbor Day in "treeless Ne
braska" in 1872. At first the date
was April tenth but later the tsgis-
lature changed it to April twenty
two, Mr.. Morton's birthday.
Schools throughout the country
are making plans to celebrate the
date and there will be tree planting
| both this spring and, where condi-
lions are more suitable, in fall. In
Washington the American Forestry
Association will plant a tree IN
memory of Morton and in New
York City on April 27, the centen-
NAL of Grants birth, it will also
plant a tree on Riverside Drive
near Grants tomb. The tree is be-
ing sent to New York from Grants
| Farm near st. Louis by August
Busch present owner of the pro-
perty.
The John Burroughs Clubs will
inaugurate the Washington tree
planting with the placing of a Hall
of Fame on the grounds of the Lin =
| coin Memorial The trees will be
red oaks placed in the shape of
half wheel for Burroughs, Whitman,
Emerson. Thoreau, Muir. Theodore
Roosevelt, assistant secretary OF the
navy, who as a boy knew Bur
| roughs, will plant the tree for the
naturalist, whose birthday is Mon
day.
Idea Spreads Throughout World
Since ]. Sterling Morton gave a
start to Arbor Day, the idea has
| spread throughout the world. His
son, Joy Morton Of Chicago, has
just given a tract Of land near that
city for an arboretum. The father
of Arbor Day was born at Adams,
Jefferson county, N. Y, in 1872; He
was graduated from Union College
in 1854, and the following year set
tied in Nebraska, first at Bellevue,
| and later at Nebraska City, where
he founded and edited the Nebras-
ka City News, the first newspaper
to be established in that state.
Mr.. Morton was elected TO the
| Territorial legislature in 1856 and
in 1853 was appointed secretary OF
| the territory by President James
Buchanan. Upon the resignation OF
Governor W. A. Richardson, a few
months later, he became acting
governor and local representative
of the administration in' the bitter
struggles in the territory. In 1888
he entered the cabinet of President
Grover Cleveland as Secretary OF
Agriculture, remaining in office un :
til 1897. President Mckinley, IN
1901. appointed Mr.. Morton one OF
the commissioners for the Louisi-
ana Exposition.
Following the lead Of Sterling
Morton, as long ago as 1885, the
Nebraska legislature prociaSmed
that Nebraska shall henceforth be
known as "The Tree Planters
State" for 700, 900 acres had been
planted. Following the lead of Ne
braska, Tennessee and Kansas rec
ogniZed Arbor Day in 1875. Then
there was a lapse until 1882 when
TOhio and North Dakota decided to
have tree planting days.
Tree Planting Sweeps Country
In Ohio the celebration was dur
| ing the sessions of the convention
| in Cincinnati which resulted In the
orming of what is now the AMER
can Forestry Association. warren
Higley, of the Ohio Forestry Com
mission, suggested to John B. Peas
| lee. the Superintendent of schools
that the school children have a part
| in the celebration This resulted in
a parade of 10000 school children
through the streets TO Eden Park
where trees were planted in honor
Of famous men. The following year
at St. Paul, B. G.. Northrup OF Con
| necticut, introduced a resolution
calling on every state to set aside
| a tree planting day. In 1887 Ontario
| set the first Friday in May for tree
| planting. In 1896 Spain adopted the
idea and Hawaii took it up in 1905.
| In Jamaica they plant trees on
| Queen Victoria's birthday.
Tree planting has swept the
country as hundreds of reports re-
| gistering trees show. Along the Ia
coma Seattle High Line Highway
| one thousand American elms have
been dedicated to Washington
| World War soldier dead with i'm
pressive ceremony at country
school house fronting on the road
| a short distance from Seattle. The
elms four years olds and from eight
to twelve feet in height, planted by
the Seattle Garden Club at inter
walls of 80 feet on both sides of che
highway, extend for eight miles
from the city's southern limits. The
! PENNSYLVANIA State College Is ar
| ranging to, plant in trees giant
| letter "S'' on the shoulder of Nit
tany Mountain which will be obser-
vable from the campus.
In Memorial tree planting has
| taken on many phases as for in
stance Pasadena, CAL, which calls
| her memorial trees her Hall OF
Fame. In Pasadena memorial trees
have been planted for some of Cal
Iffornia's great students of nature
At Charlotte, Mich, and unused
piece of land was turned into a me-
| mortal park. A great boulder in the
| center holds the names of the coun
ty dead. Around that boulder Is a
circle of trees, for those men. From
| this was worked out the plans fol
| the memorial park. Planting OF q
tree when a child is born is a Gus
tom that is being adopted by many.
| Associated Press Dispatch 7