COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch County Historical Society says the February 22 ice storm led to the loss of a rare artifact on the west side of Coldwater.
They say in a post on their Facebook page that the old Indian Marker Tree next to the North Oak Grove Cemetery was overcome by the weight of the ice and, due to its out-of-balance structure, ripped its north-side roots system out of the ground. This allowed the old White Oak tree to collapse over on its side.
Due to how it was uprooted, there appears to be little or no hope of salvaging the tree.
The Society studied the tree in 2014 and it was estimated the Marker Tree was between 250 and 300 years old.
This would place its purposeful beginning existence around 1723 – 1773.
The Historical Society goes on to say that the area was considerably swampier back then and Messenger Lake was little more than a pond in the middle of a very wet marsh area.
The Marker Tree told the people traveling the old Sauk Trail that the path made a northwest to southwest turn around a small hill.
At last report, the Historical Society was still looking at options as to what to do with the old tree.
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