Page 23 - AreaNewsletters "May2023"

The tree-planting campaign was a testament to the power of community action and the importance of caring for the environment. Today, some of the trees that were planted over a century ago still stand tall, providing shade and beauty to the town, and reminding us of the importance of taking care of our natural resources.
The society began by soliciting donations from local businesses and residents to fund the project. They also enlisted the help of local school children, who were given the task of collecting and planting the seedlings. The children were excited to be a part of the campaign and eagerly took on the responsibility of caring for the young trees.
In April 1884, the tree planting began.
toprovideenough water for the proj- ect.
Another chal-
lenge was the
weather. The
spring of 1884
was unusually
dry, and the young trees were struggling to survive. However, the society refused to give up, and they con-
Over time, the trees began to grow, and they soon provided shade and beauty to the town.
The evergreens helped to stabilize the soil, preventing erosion, and providing a habitat for wildlife. Thecottonwoodsandelmsprovid- ed shade for the town’s residents, making the hot summers more bearable.
It seems the tree planting was a success as shown in this article from the Castle Rock Journal of April 20, 1906, some 20 years later “On Easter Sunday 1884, the citizens of Castle Rock assembled en masse, unloaded a carload of trees that had been generously donated to
the town by some public spirited citizen and proceeded to plant the entire lot, the holes having been prepared await- ing the arrival of the trees. The beautiful little city you see here today is the result of that Arbor Day held on Easter Sundaytwenty-twoyearsago. Itwasnotintentionalthat Sunday should be the day selected, but it so happened that the trees arrived late Saturday night and as the ground was all prepared to receive them it was deemed expedient to get them in the ground at the earliest possible moment. So, the Sunday School class turned out and took a lesson in horticulture. It must have been a good lesson too, from our present beautiful drive and shaded streets we now enjoy.”
First, they had to set the ground rules with an ordi- nance. The Castle Rock Jour-
nal, April 9, 1884, printed the
ordinance, which stated, “That
tinued to care for the trees, even in the face of these challenges.
all trees planted on the streets in the town of Castle Rock west of the Railroad shall be at an equal distance of twelve feet from the block frontage and in no case more than twenty-five feet apart .... Any person planting shade trees on any street shall strictly adhere to the given measurements and properly protect the trees by suitable boxing or fence (to prevent damage by cattle or other animals).... any person removing, cutting down, or muti- lating said tress without permission of the Board of Trustees shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor”
On April 13, 1884, people came
out in droves to help with the
planting. The Castle Rock Jour-
nal, April 16, 1884, reported, “Castle Rock was up to time in presenting her boom side last week, tree-hole laborers were as numerous as crows in a wheat field, and still, the applicants were inadequate to the demand. Every available measure was employed to meet the necessity of providing for the reception of the large shipment of trees.”
Despite the initial enthusiasm, the tree-planting cam- paign faced some challenges. Castle Rock was located in an arid region, and water was scarce. The young trees needed a lot of water to survive, and the society had to rely on donations from local farmers and ranchers
23
Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters” • May 2023