FRANKFORD, Mo. — Several representatives of the Clarksville Garden Club distributed over 400 tree saplings to the 4th and 5th grade classes at schools throughout Pike County on April 8th and 9th in honor of Arbor Day. Under normal circumstances, trees are distributed to just the 4th grade classes, but both classes received trees this year because the Clarksville Garden Club was unable to honor the Arbor Day tradition last year due to COVID19 and felt that the 5th graders this year should receive trees also.  The trees were donated for distribution to the schools from Forrest Keeling Nursery in Elsberry.

History states that as pioneers began moving into the Nebraska Territory, the lack of trees was felt deeply.  Not only did the new residents miss the trees they had left behind, they were also left without the trees needed as windbreaks to keep soil in place, fuel for fires, building materials needed for construction and shade from the hot sun.

J. Sterling Morton, a Nebraska newspaper editor and resident of Nebraska City, NE, had an enthusiasm for trees and advocated strongly for individuals and civic groups to plant them.  Once he became secretary of the Nebraska Territory, he further spread his message of the value of trees.  On January 4, 1872, Morton first proposed a tree planting holiday to be called “Arbor Day” at a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture.

A celebration date was set for April 10, 1872.  Prizes were offered to counties and individuals for the largest number of properly planted trees on that day.  It was estimated that more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day.  Arbor Day was officially proclaimed in 1874 by Nebraska’s Governor, Robert W. Furnas, and the day was observed April 10th that year.  In 1885, Arbor Day was named a legal state holiday in Nebraska, and April 22nd was selected as the date for its permanent annual observance.

Many other states passed legislation to observe Arbor Day each year.  By 1920, more than 45 states and territories were celebrating Arbor Day.  The tree planting tradition became prominent in schools across the nation in 1882, with schoolchildren learning about the importance of trees as well as receiving a tree to plant in their own yard.

Today, Arbor Day is celebrated in all 50 states.  The most common date for the state observance is the last Friday of April which is called National Arbor Day, but a number of states are at other times to coincide with the best tree planting weather, from January and February in the south, to May in the far north.  While Nebraska City, NE, is the official birthplace of the Arbor Day holiday, communities around the globe gather every year to celebrate trees and plant for a greener tomorrow.