R. Bruce Allison

This was a quick read, as it is full of pictures. As the title implies, it's a book about famous WI trees. The trees were picked for historical significance, interesting folklore, rarity or unusual size. Each tree has a photo. I found the historical and folkloric trees to be the most fascinating. Some of the historic trees were historic because they were old Civil War "sign up" trees. They'd tack a list to the tree, and young men would enlist. A few of these trees still stand. Other trees had famous treaties signed beneath their branches or were planted by famous people, like Frank Lloyd Wright's oaks. Other trees were famous because they were "hanging trees". Sadly none of these still stand. The last tree used for a lynching was felled in the late 70s.

My favorite story is a folkloric one; the tale of the "Coffin Tree". Back in the 1920s some loggers cut a tree down by Ladysmith. When they went to saw up the timber, they discovered a mummy inside. The corpse was dressed in old fur trapper clothes. He was estimated to have died sometime in the late 1700s by some items found on his person. He was remarkably preserved. They theorized he climbed into the hollow of a tree to escape Indians or perhaps shelter from severe weather. In any case, he wasn't able to climb back out and died inside the tree. The tree grew around his corpse, effectively preserving it inside like a wooden womb. It was said the wood from that tree was never good for anything. It would just keep warping.

There's a weird tree over in the Kettle Moraine Forest that I want to check out when I get the chance. It's called the "Spooky Oak" and famous in the area. It's a super twisted and knurled old oak. It looks like a tree from a Tim Burton film.… (meer)