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Greensburg, Ks —
Last Monday the Kiowa County Commissioners, on the recommendation of Road and Bridge Superintendent Gunnar Stauth, gave their consent for county road crews to remove the large cottonwood tree on Q Street, a mile west of U.S. 183. The towering cottonwood tree has been a local landmark for close to a hundred years and has drawn visitors from all over the country via the geographical treasure hunting website Geocacheing.com.
Stauth cited safety concerns and the county’s right of way as the primary motivator for the removal and presented photos of the tree, which encroaches into the road.
“I known it’s been there a long time, but it’s caused the road to bend,” said Kiowa County Road Foreman Jay Schmidt. “It’s in our right of way and it’s caused the road to bend around it. So the road isn’t straight anymore. It’s a safety issue.”
The cottonwood was designated the official Kansas state tree by the legislature in 1937. It was one of the few trees to survive the conditions in Western Kansas and the Legislature, in its decision explained its importance to early settlers:
"Whereas, if the full truth were known, it might honestly be said that the successful growth of the cottonwood grove on the homestead was often the determining factor in the decision of the homesteader to 'stick it out until he could prove up on his claim'; and Whereas, The cottonwood tree can rightfully be called 'the pioneer tree of Kansas.'"
Local residents have come to know the tree as a massive monument surrounded by mostly flat farmland growing so tall that it can been seen from the highway.
“Oh it’s an old ancient landmark. They’ve cut some of it off at certain times,” said Raymond Wadel, a farmer who lives up the road. “It doesn’t bother me a whole lot [that they are taking it out] I guess.”
“I guess it does kind of stick out into the middle [of the road] there,” said area resident Karen Yost. “We have no objections, but it is an old tree, it’s been there a long time I’m sure we’ll miss it when it goes.”
But the tree has not just captured the attention of local farmers. Nancy Magliery, daughter of Harvey and Beatrice Schmidt, who grew up atop the hill from the tree, registered the tree on the global treasure hunting website Geocacheing.com.
Last Monday the Kiowa County Commissioners, on the recommendation of Road and Bridge Superintendent Gunnar Stauth, gave their consent for county road crews to remove the large cottonwood tree on Q Street, a mile west of U.S. 183. The towering cottonwood tree has been a local landmark for close to a hundred years and has drawn visitors from all over the country via the geographical treasure hunting website Geocacheing.com.
Stauth cited safety concerns and the county’s right of way as the primary motivator for the removal and presented photos of the tree, which encroaches into the road.
“I known it’s been there a long time, but it’s caused the road to bend,” said Kiowa County Road Foreman Jay Schmidt. “It’s in our right of way and it’s caused the road to bend around it. So the road isn’t straight anymore. It’s a safety issue.”
The cottonwood was designated the official Kansas state tree by the legislature in 1937. It was one of the few trees to survive the conditions in Western Kansas and the Legislature, in its decision explained its importance to early settlers:
"Whereas, if the full truth were known, it might honestly be said that the successful growth of the cottonwood grove on the homestead was often the determining factor in the decision of the homesteader to 'stick it out until he could prove up on his claim'; and Whereas, The cottonwood tree can rightfully be called 'the pioneer tree of Kansas.'"
Local residents have come to know the tree as a massive monument surrounded by mostly flat farmland growing so tall that it can been seen from the highway.
“Oh it’s an old ancient landmark. They’ve cut some of it off at certain times,” said Raymond Wadel, a farmer who lives up the road. “It doesn’t bother me a whole lot [that they are taking it out] I guess.”
“I guess it does kind of stick out into the middle [of the road] there,” said area resident Karen Yost. “We have no objections, but it is an old tree, it’s been there a long time I’m sure we’ll miss it when it goes.”
But the tree has not just captured the attention of local farmers. Nancy Magliery, daughter of Harvey and Beatrice Schmidt, who grew up atop the hill from the tree, registered the tree on the global treasure hunting website Geocacheing.com.
A small container is hidden near the tree, which contains a logbook and small gifts. When visitors find the container they sign the logbook and leave gifts for other hunters. Geo cache hunters search for containers left in local landmarks and challenging locations.
According to the website there are more than 1.6 million geocaches hidden around the world in places as simple as an old cottonwood tree or park bench and as difficult as underwater and on the side of mountain cliffs.
Since it was placed in April 2003, the cottonwood tree, listed under the title “To Grandmother’s House We Go” has logged 73 visitors.
“You gotta just love the Kansas countryside,” wrote GeoCache user LeFibreGuy. “Grew up in a small town, our mother would have us all walking country roads on the weekends for something to do. This area brought back some memories. Good location for this cache. The wind was fierce today.”
“It makes me sad. You come over the hill and you see it,” said Magliery, who now lives in Denver. “It’s something special. It’s been a landmark in our lives forever. Right after the tornado I called my parents and the first thing I asked them was ‘is the tree ok?’”
Magliery said she will be sad to see it go, although she admits that when she was back home for a recent funeral, the tree did not look it’s best. “Last time I saw it was a little bit sorry looking, “ she said.
County road crews have not set a date for removal and Road Superintendent Stauth said the county is spending more time working on roads and most likely won’t get to the tree until closer to the Spring time.
“I know its been there a long long time and it’s one of those great big cottonwoods,” continued County Road Forman Jay Schmidt. “Eventually some wind is going to come up, some ice is going to come, something is going to happen. That big of a tree, one of these days [it’s going to fall]. Half of it will be lying in the road because of the wind and ice. It’s just the way these old cottonwoods are when they get that big and that old. They start to deteriorate and eventually it will cause a problem, an accident or an injury.”
editor@kiowacountysignal.com
