The Iconic Tree Is Down

Folks were surprised to learn that a well-known and loved old tree on Devil’s Lake State Park’s south shore, was just taken down. To be fair, we all knew the day would come.

Last December we first talked about the demise of the weathered old pine. It had slowly died over a number of years, it was now becoming brittle and dangerous. It needed to come down.  Of course, readers both here and on social media shared their love and connection with this stately old sentinel. Campers spoke of camping under the tree back in the day when the south shore picnic area was still a campground. Others spoke of weddings, reunions and a variety of personal events that somehow involved the elder pine. It’s no surprise then that they were interested and even personally invested in what would happen when the old tree came down. Even yesterday when we first posted these photos on social media, we received many reactions and comments. People wondered again what will happen to the wood? Do we know how old it was? Can they just go take a piece now that it’s down? Could it be cut up into mementos or holiday ornaments sold as a fundraiser? What would go in its place? We also heard from folks who wanted to be there to watch the tree be cut down. Well, we along with others, did ask the park leadership these questions. There were no clear answers at the time, other than a proposal to have the tree laser mapped and the wood stored. I’m not sure the mapping happened.

We had hoped that either through the state of Wisconsin’s govdelivery email service, current conditions webpage or even via social media, (or even an email so we could tell you!) people who felt a strong connection to this old icon would be informed and possibly even invited to watch the tree come down from a safe distance.

In the end, it’s always sad to see an old tree come down. I’m reminded of a quote from John Muir, he wrote in part, “We all travel the Milky Way together, trees and men.” We recognize that their journey, even rooted in one spot is somehow bigger than ours. We feel a connection to an old tree as an anchor point in our life experience, while recognizing that it was here before us and will, we assume, be standing long after we’re gone. When an old tree dies, it just doesn’t feel right. It draws attention to our own mortality. Time condenses.

It’s been an amazing and thought-provoking experience to hear from folks about how much this old tree has meant to them and how it had become part of their Devil’s Lake tradition and experience over many years and generations. Because of this, I feel that when it was time to take this iconic tree down, it should have been done with a sense of respect and community, not simply as routine maintenance. But then I’m sure others would say, “It’s only a tree.”

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If you have thoughts about what you’d like to see done with the wood from this old pine, please email [email protected] and share your thoughts.

If you have a picture of you or your family event with the old pine, feel free to share it over on our Facebook Page!