Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois. Courtesy photo.
By P.G. Misty Sheehan
(Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in Freshwater Reporter, April/May 2020 issue.)
Arbor Day, observed on the last Friday in April, was founded in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton (1832-1902) at his Nebraska farm named Arbor Lodge. The farm was known as “160 acres of the best land … with at least twenty hundred apple trees in it.”
Originally from Detroit, Morton came to the Nebraska Territory five months after the Kansas-Nebraska Act which gave settlers land for farming. He planted trees on his plot of farmland. One of his best crops was fruit: apples, peaches, cherries and apricots.
He intended to be a journalist and was active in the political development of the Nebraska Territory. He became editor of the Nebraska City News and was eventually acting governor of Nebraska. He also became Secretary of Agriculture under President Grover Cleveland.
His son Joy Morton (1855-1934) followed in his dad’s footsteps by showing concern for the environment. As a teenager he contracted meningitis and chose to work on his father’s farm at Arbor Lodge for two years. By the time he was 25, he had taken a junior partnership in the sales and distribution of salt in Chicago. He brought Manistee’s salt to Chicago for pioneers settling the western part of the U.S. Five years later, he owned the firm and named it Joy Morton and Company, eventually incorporating it as Morton Salt Company.
Joy also developed his interests in “banking, transportation, agriculture, communication and architecture.” He left as his legacy Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. The arboretum is now a 1,700-acre “living history museum with over 4,000 different types of trees and shrubs and other woodland plants.” People can walk or take a tram ride through the grounds on a Sunday afternoon to connect with the outdoors.
The legacy of these two men in conservation of trees, through Arbor Day and through the Morton Arboretum, lives today.
For more about Arbor Day, visit www.arborday.org and Michigan’s site: https://www.miarbordayalliance.org/home. Learn more about the Morton Arboretum at www.mortonarb.org. Find out what Morton Salt is doing for its employees, nonprofits and local communities during the COVID-19 crisis at www.mortonsalt.com.
P.G. Misty Sheehan is a retired professor of humanities and former executive director of the Benzie Area Historical Society Museum.
Arbor Day during Social Distancing
(Editor’s note: This story has been updated since its publication in 2020.)
By Pat Stinson
Community tree-planting events are the hallmark of National Arbor Day annual festivities. The Arbor Day Foundation website states:
“These Arbor Day celebrations promote cleaner air and water, protect wildlife in their natural habitats, and improve human health — all through planting and nurturing trees … Our vision is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, a changing climate, deforestation, poverty, and hunger.
The organization proposes six ways to observe the event during the pandemic:
- Take a hike.
- Learn about nature online. Carly’s Kid’s Corner offers interactive games at: www.arborday.org/kids
- Draw your favorite tree(s).
- Enjoy nature-based crafts. Look on Pinterest for inspiration, then gather materials from your yard – pine cones, needles, twigs, etc.
- Order a tree. Trees clean the air for everyone in the community. The Arbor Day Foundation Tree Nursery sells them at: https://shop.arborday.org
- Become an Arbor Day member and support tree-planting initiatives worldwide.
The Arbor Day Foundation was founded 100 years after the first Arbor Day event in 1872 and includes more than one million members – the largest 501(c)3 nonprofit membership organization with a mission of planting trees. To date, more than 350 million trees have been planted. Members receive discounts on trees, the Tree Book and bi-monthly newsletter.
Learn more at www.arborday.org
Pat Stinson is co-editor of Freshwater Reporter.
