The Last of the Pioneer Trees
A landmark locust tree, planted in 1865, is cut down to make room for modern concrete sidewalks in front of the Gem saloon.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
It was with much sadness indeed that several old-time residents of Walla Walla stood around this morning and watched workmen level to the ground the old locust tree in front of the Gem saloon on Main street. Despite the petition of some 30 old-timers to the council that the relic of early days be allowed to stand, a property owner on whose land a part of the tree stood is said to have given orders to the contractors, who were laying new concrete walks, that it be removed. As there was no alternative but to obey the order, the tree was chopped down this morning and hauled away to the city garbage field, surely an ignoble ending to a noble life. The old tree was planted in the early days, when Walla Walla was a mere village, by the late John Justice and Mike Cosgrove. Harry Poland, proprietor of the Gem saloon, said, 'Mr. Justice often told me that he and Mike Cosgrove planted the tree in 1865. Two others were planted at the same time but they died after reaching quite a size and were cut down. Yes, I regret to see the old tree cut down as many other old-timers do. It has stood for nearly 40 years and was about the only one of nature's relics of early days left.'
“It is a noble ending to a noble life... it has gone to join the pioneers that planted it.”
The tension between preserving 'pioneer' history and urban modernization remains a central civic conflict in Walla Walla, especially as the city's historic core continues to densify and redevelop, often at the cost of its original landscape.
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