Arbor Day

When settlers moved to the territory of Nebraska they found very few trees to build homes or to use for fuel. If you visit Nebraska today, you would never believe that it had once been barren with land too dry to grow crops. Julius Sterling Morton, a journalist and later editor of Nebraska's first newspaper, and his wife moved from Detroit, Michigan to Nebraska. They purchased a farm and planted trees, shrubs, and flowers.

Julius Morton believed that Nebraska could become viable economically if there were more trees planted in the state. In 1872 at a meeting of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture, he proposed that residents set aside April 10 as a day to plant trees. He suggested a competition among communities and organizations. Everyone embraced the idea and about one million trees were planted on that day, known as Arbor Day.

Nebraska declared Arbor Day as a legal holiday in 1885 and changed the date to Morton's birthday, April 22nd. The celebration of Arbor Day has extended beyond the boundaries of Nebraska to all fifty states and other parts of the world. The date for observance varies. Nebraska celebrates the traditional holiday while other states celebrate Arbor Day as close to April 22 as their tree planting season allows. Hawaii celebrates Arbor Day the first Friday in November because of its season.

Visit My Information Mall