What you see in this image from 1870 is Greeley, early in the days of settlement. In the foreground is the Brownell family tent; in the background and looking toward the east, the two-story structure is the Hotel de Comfort, located on what is now the southwest corner of 8th Street and 7th Avenue. Signage on the store to its west advertises “bakery”. Scattered all around are smaller structures, likely to have been the temporary homes and businesses of the new Union Colonists. However, one thing not yet present is trees.
There were trees in the area to be known as Greeley, but not like there are today. They were found along the banks of the Cache la Poudre and the South Platte Rivers. Island Grove, prior to the time it was claimed by Peter Winne, was a burial site for the Arapahoe, Sioux, and Cheyenne tribes, and was home to a natural grove of cottonwoods. So, how did Greeley become the shady, tree-filled oasis in the desert plains it is today?
One of the first tasks set about by early settlers, after plotting the town and establishing shelter, was the planting of shade trees. Nathan Meeker instituted “village improvement campaigns” from 1870-1879 to budget for the procurement and encourage the planting of trees along town streets. In June of 1870 Meeker brought shade and fruit trees in from Illinois. Colonists made trips into the mountains to transplant trees from the Rockies into Greeley. These trees were planted along the Cache la Poudre and Ditch #3 to act as nurseries, as well as around Lakes Luna and Auricular in Lincoln Park. Most of these trees died during the subsequent winter of 1870-1871, but it didn’t discourage people. In 1871 residents transplanted the native cottonwood trees from the river into town. The streets of Greeley that run east to west were originally named for trees. Meeker thought that it would inspire people who lived on those streets to plant the corresponding tree on their land.
By the spring of 1912, the park grounds of Island Grove boasted over 300 shade trees, shrubs, and rose bushes, in addition to the cottonwoods that predated the Colony. Recounted in another source, there were approximately 3,861 American Elms in Greeley as of October of 1936. In 1981, Greeley was awarded its first Tree City USA honor by the National Arbor Foundation. The University of Northern Colorado campus grounds are the location of several first plantings in Colorado, which include the Pecan Hickory, Amur Cork, and Kentucky Coffeetree State Champion trees. More information about the trees on University grounds can be found through the UNC website.
Most recently, the addition of Ginko trees across the street from the Weld County Courthouse, along 9th Avenue, calls Greeley home. Other Ginko trees can be found on the UNC campus, and among the landscaping of Fire Station 1.
More information about Greeley trees, as well as other historic information, can be found in the Hazel E. Johnson Research Center, located on the garden level of the Greeley History Museum.
By Miranda Todd, Archives Assistant