AL FREELAND

We have been in town since 1981, but it was only in the last couple of years that I noticed the tree.  By “the tree” I mean the giant cottonwood tree by the old metal bridge on Canada Ave., Northeast of Northfield.  When the tree finally caught my eye I was totally amaze by the size of this “old man of the woods”.  The base of the tree was hollowed out, but it still looked strong and not in danger of toppling. 

When I would go out in the area to do some water monitoring for the Cannon River Watershed group, or to go fishing for monster catfish with my kids, or mushrooming I would brush by the tree and do what I often do to trees when I am alone in the woods (please promise you won’t tell anyone), I talk to them  I pat them, or let their leaves or needles softly brush my hand, or feel the old, hardened bark that the years of sun, snow, and storms had wrinkled.  I’m not quite sure if it because of reverence for the aging relics or some ancient druid throwback to “spirits in the oaks”, but I have always felt the life in these trees talk with me in some strange way.  So for years, I talked with “the tree”.

It was about a year ago that I stumble across a neat verse in the Bible, Psalm 1:3, “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail.  Their leaves never wither and in all they do, they prosper.”  After reading this verse, for some reason a made an immediate connection between this tree, the Bible verse, and my kids and grandkids.  Now comes the crazy part.

I soon started making little appointments with my kids and grandkids – taking them out to “the tree”.  I made some excuse to take them out to the old metal bridge, and just happened to take my camera with me – snapping pictures of them fishing by the tree, standing by the tree, standing IN the tree.  Some of these pictures are attached to this article.  I would print the pictures with the Bible verse below as a type of family blessing for this next generation of Freeland’s, and send it around for the kids to see and believe it.  By believe in, I mean that us humans need something like this tree to believe in.  I really believe that.  We need to see that something lives longer than we do, even when it stands alone in the muggy Minnesota summers and frigid Minnesota winters.  It can live far beyond us and our folks, but back generation after generation without a worry in the world.  We need to believe that we can do this to some extent, and that God can bless our lives as much as be blesses the old cottonwood by the river.  There just seems to be a spot of hope there in that story.

Then came the day that I read in the paper that the road was to be closed and a new bridge was going to be built.  It appeared that the old iron bridge was no longer safe for new vehicles, heavier vehicles, and certainly not for two-lane traffic.  I started freaking out very quickly since I thought that this grand old iron structure may be toppled, and worst of all, the trees in the “way” of the new bridge may be tore down and that just might include my grand old man. 

Luckily I heard that they were going to keep the old bridge for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, but was still not happy since I had not heard of the fate of MY TREE!  I was getting a little crazy when I started thinking of this old giant being cut down.  After all it had been standing for many more years that I have been around. 

I did a little research and found the following calculations for cottonwood trees in Minnesota by rivers (believe it or not).  The approximate calculations is to measure around the trunk at 4 1/2 feet off the ground, then divide the circumference in inches by 3.14, and then multiply the result by the "growth factor" of the tree's species to get the age.  Cottonwood’s growth factor is 2 – hence this tree is approximately 201 YEARS OLD!!!  It was born in 1808.

After I did that calculation I starting getting excited about all of the history that this tree has seen.  Click here quick and take a little walk through time and perhaps you can get a little excited as well.

1801 – Thomas Jefferson elected 3^rd President

1803 – Louisiana Purchase – Opened up the west

1804 – Louis and Clark expedition started

1808 – My tree is now a saping - A Twig among many

1855 – Northfield founded

1858 – Minnesota became a state

1876 – James Younger Gang attempt to rob Northfield

Now that I got a true perspective of this old tree’s lifeline – I started freaking out that they were going to take down this grand ol’ guy – after he had experienced all of this history!  Ironically I got a call from my son at that time at KYMN Radio (he is the Sales and Marketing Manager and voice on the radio there) and he said, “you have to see these pictures – they save the tree!!!  (obviously Tim knew how nuts I was about the tree).  I ran out to the bridge right after work and sure enough – it seemed that someone else beside me must has some respected this old tree.  Thank you construction guys! It appears that they are going to let it stand.  They have cut all the trees down around it, and left it stand. 

I invite all you readers to take a drive out to the old Iron Bridge site and take a look for yourselves.  Go out and touch the bark, hide in the hollow of the trunk, listen for a voice from it talking of the 200 years of history it has seen.  Maybe it has seen murders there?  May some lovers parked by the tree in a horse drawn wagon and a famous Northfield resident was conceived there?  Perhaps the largest fish ever recorded swam by the tree with no one ever catching it or know about it?  What ever the case may be, I am HAPPY that my try is still living.  Please help keep it that way if you can.