The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-04-10

ther of Arbor Day."
Next year will be celebrated his GEN.
tennial, for he was born in Adams,
Jefferson county, n. Y, in 1882. When
young Morton was two years old his
parents moved to Michigan and there
he grew up, attending private school
in Monroe and then a Methodist semi
nary in Albion. In 1850 he entered
the University Of Michigan and re-
but withdrew in his senior year and
was graduated from Union college in
his native state in 1854.
In the same year he was married to
a Michigan girl and the young couple
decided to ego West and grow up with
the country" They settled first at
Bellevue in the territory Of Nebraska,
but moved later to what is now Ne
braska City, where Morton was a
member of the town company, which
surveyed and established that town.
Adjacent to the TOWNSHIP he pre-empt-
ed tract of land half a mile square
and upon that site he built his home
which he called "Arbor Lodge"
Morton was the founder and first
editor of the first newspaper in Ne
braska City, the Nebraska City News
and was a prominent figure in Nebras-
ka during its territorial days. In 1858
President Buchanan made him Sec
rotary Of the territory, and upon the
resignation of Gov. William A. Rich
ardson he became acting governor.
He was, however, more interested in
other matters than in politics He was
an original member of the Nebraska
Territorial Board of Agriculture and
the Territorial Horticultural society.
Coming from two heavily-wooded
states, New York and Michigan, Nor
ton was struck by the bleakness Of
the "treeless state" as Nebraska was
called at that time
The result was that at a meeting
of the state board of agriculture on
January 4, 1872, Morton introduced
a resolution setting aside April 10 for
tree planting so that Nebraska would
be "treeless state" no longer More
than million trees were planted that
year and several million more during
the following years.
In 1875 Kansas and Tennessee fol-
lowed the example of Nebraska by set
ting aside one day in the year as Ar
Dor or Tree-Planting day. In 1875
Minnesota, alarmed by the destruction
Of her white pine forests, began to OBJ
serve Arbor day, North Dakota began
in 1882 and in Missouri the idea was
taken up in 1886.
The next important development was
the formation Of the American For
estry association Of which George E.
Loring of Salem, Mass, was first pres
ident and with which, incidentally,
Morton was closely associated for
many years. In 1883 the American
Forestry congress Gas the American
Forestry association was then known)
met in St. Paul, MINI. B. C. North
rop of Connecticut introduced reso-
luton recommending the observance
Of Arbor day in all the schools of the
country. A committee was appointed
to press the matter with Mr.. Northrop
as chairman. In 1884 he secured the
adoption of the following resolution
at the annual meeting of the National
Education association:
Resolved, That in view Of the valu-
able results of Arbor day in the six
states where such a day has been OBJ
served, alike upon the school and the
home, this association recommends the
general observance Of Arbor day for
schools in all our states.
Since then the observance of Arbor
day has spread beyond the United
States. In 1887 the first Friday in
May was set aside in the province of
Ontario for tree planting. Spain
adopted the plan officially in 1896.
Hawaii took it up in 1905, and it is
now observed in many other countries.
In 1885 the Nebraska legislature,
wishing to further honor the man who
had originated the idea of Arbor day,
passed an act changing the date of its
observance to April %, Morton's birth
day, :Ad making it legal holiday in
that state.
In 1898 Morton entered the cabinet
Of President Grover Cleveland as Sec
rotary of agriculture, remaining in
Office until 1897.
By 1895 the Nebraska legislature
was able to proclaim to Nebraska's sis
ter states that henceforth she was to
be known as the "Tree-Planter State"
because this commonwealth, which
had once been so markedly destitute