In 1886, Buffalo Bill Cody began to plan a "show place that would be the talk of the country."  This ranch, located on the Platte River Valley, was a treeless region.  In fact the town of North Platte had few trees.  So as soon as the frost went out of the ground, cottonwood trees were set out.  By the fourth summer the rapid growing cottonwoods were casting enough shade for picnics and other parties.  The trees still grace Scouts Rest Ranch were the Wild West Shows were held.  Buffalo Bill Cody was a Champion Buffalo Hunter, Chief of Scouts, American Scout and Showman, pony express rider, a member of the Nebraska National Guard but most of all had the foresight to plant trees.

A stately hackberry tree stands on the south lawn of the Merrick County County Courthouse.  This tree was planted on April 12, 1923, the death anniversary of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross.  The National Women's Relief Corp designated this day to be observed by the planting of trees in the memory of Barton over the whole United States.  On April 24, 1928 a memorial plaque was placed next tot he tree by the Relief Corp so all would know why this tree was planted.

Nebraska and Omaha are so friendly that even nature says "Hi" with these cottonwoods.  They just happen to grow in the shape of the letters H and I.  The cottonwoods are located in the Historic Florence area of Omaha which had its roots in the Winter Quarters settlement of 1846.  The "Hi Tree" grows along the Back-to-the-River Hiking and Biking Trail and is a natural oddity that is known throughout the Midwest.

LONE TREE
Location: Merrick County
Owner: n/a

"Lone Tree" , a giant, solitary cottonwood, was a noted Platte River landmark as early as 1833.  Standing on the north side of the Platte River, the tree was visible at great distances.  The tree was especially prominent since timber was rare on the Nebraska prairies except in stream valleys, where it received protection from prairie fires.  The Mormon Trail passed by Lone Tree as did the Omaha-Fort Kearney stage route.  The tree also gave its name to a stage station and a town, later renamed Central City.  Passing travelers often camped beneath Lone Tree and carved their initials on its trunk.  This probably hastened its end, for the tree was dead by 1863.  A severe storm in 1865 brought it to the earth.  In 1911 residents of Merrick County erected a stone in the shape of a tree trunk and planted another cottonwood tree on the site once occupied by Lone Tree.

The Council Tree is a cottonwood that is 3.5 miles west of Chadron on Highway 20 on private property.  In 1875 President Grant appointed the Allison Commission, chaired by Senator Allison of Iowa, to encourage all Sioux Indian Chiefs and elders to attend a Council under the cottonwood tree on Chadron Creek, for the purpose of relinquishing their rights to the Black Hills area.  "Treaty Tree" has also been given as a name to this tree but in fact no treaty was ever agreed on.  After several days of meetings between the commission and the Indians, the conference ended with all r3eturning to their homes.  This live cottonwood is 60 feet high with a circumference of 22 feet.

Army engineer, Lt. Daniel Woodbury, selected the site of Fort Kearney in November 1847 with one of the main reasons being trees.  "The trees are cottonwood, scrub elm, small willows, and a scattering of ash and a few cedars.  The cottonwood is the only tree that grows in abundance."  Large cottonwood trees delimit the perimeter of the parade ground itself.  Many photos have been taken at different decades of the parade grounds with these stately cottonwoods.

This crabapple tree is located in the center of the re-created Sacred Hoop Garden, near the free standing one-room study where Neihardt wrote many of his earlier works and began his great epic poem, "A Cycle of the West."  The garden recreates the image of the Sacred Hoop as related in Neihardt's most well known work, "Black Elk Speaks", a book included on the list of the top 100 most influential works of the 20th century.  Neihardt is the first "Poet Laureate" ever named by a state legislature.

A 40 acre forest of bur oaks is located on a bluff that drops 283 feet overlooking the Cedar River.  This bluff of oaks is best known as "The Leap" that was prominent in Indian lore.  Stories abound of Indians using skillful hunting techniques by driving herds of buffalo off this cliff.  Most striking is the story of a Pawnee chief and his sweetheart who supposedly leaped to their deaths from the bluff.  This forest was the location of the first formal 4th of July celebration held in the state of Nebraska in 1844.  The forest is also famous for three decades of spirited summer Chautauqua shows that began in 1897.  The majestic bur oaks that cover these grounds is one of the largest stand of natural bur oak trees in the United States and dates back over 400 years.

The Morton Oak has graced grounds south of Arbor Day Farm Apple House for over 200 years.  Bur oaks, with their thick bark, were more resistant to prairie fire and as a result scattered pockets of bur oak managed to survive.  These areas are referred to as "oak savannas."  The Morton Oak was probably part of an old oak savanna ecosystem.  On Arbor Day 2001, it was designated as Nebraska's Millennium Landmark Tree.

This green ash tree is over one hundred years old and is nearly 60 feet tall growing out of the rock ledge or wall that is 1/4 mile north of the old rock schoolhouse located at the end of the road through the south end of Ash Hollow Historical Park.  The pioneers on the Oregon Trail toiled down Windlass Hill to be met with a cool natural spring water and shade from the ash trees in Ash Hollow.  This spot was also a popular camp site for the Plains Indians.

On April 24, 1928, the Women's Relief Corp planted an American Linden tree on the north lawn of the Merrick County Courthouse.  They dedicated this tree to the Grand Army of the Republic (Civil War veterans).  It was a "living monument of that brave band who so nobly fought that this nation might be preserved."  A marker was placed close to the tree on April 13, 1950 to preserve its dedication.