The Plains Cottonwood is the tree of the Great Plains. Native Americans and early pioneers used cottonwood trees for their much needed resources. The wood from the cottonwood was used to make tables, benches, shelves and other types of furniture as well as beams for adobe dwellings. Its wood was used as a hot quick burning log for heat.
Cottonwood , elm, and willow trees are seen on many of the rivers and creeks of the Eastern plains of Colorado but this was not he case in pre-settlement days. Prairie grass fires would kill seedlings and the Buffalo herds would trample and graze those seedlings Water flow of rivers and creeks varied depending on snowmelt and rainfall. Drought and flooding took its toll. Times have changed. The fires and buffalo are gone and the water is now controlled . The South Platte alone has over 700 dams and reservoirs to the Missouri. Water flow is now pretty constant creating a better environment for trees.
It’s interesting to know the Lewis and Clark expedition, known as the Corp of Discovery, were constantly referring to cottonwood trees in their writings noting the porcupine feeding on leaves and bowers of the cottonwood. Scientifically we now know the porcupine loves the starchy, sugar-coated leaves.
They hold a practical as well as a spiritual value to Native American Indians. They sometimes described them as standing people or talking people. For those of you who have experienced the vastness of the flat plains or the desert you can relate to the feeling of being lost without unique landmarks. Lewis made an entry detailing the use of one such tree. As he explores the Rainbow Falls and Colter Falls in what was to become Montana he sees an island in the Great Falls area. The Hidatsas Indians had told him to look for an island on which he would find a tall cottonwood with an eagles nest. He found exactly what they had described which shows the importance these trees were to the American Indians in knowing their land. There were no maps or GPS. They had to check the horizon.
11 Comments
John
Hey Monte – I’ve been out of circulation for a couple of months, but I’m back – hopefully on a more permanent basis. In the meantime, I’ve created a new site (http://johnstrongarts.com) and incorporated Visual Notebook into it (http://johnstrongarts.com/blog). Take a peek if you get a moment. Also, if you could change the link in your blogroll to point to the new site, that would be great.
I’ve always felt a stand of cottonwood trees on a stretch of desolate prairie was a beautiful site, and to sit under on and listen to the leave “talk” is comforting. Nice shot…
Monte Stevens
Made the change, John The site looks nice.
Tom Dills
Interesting story of a simpler time, Monte. I wonder what the equivalent would be in this neck of the woods. I’ll have to check it out.
Monte Stevens
Yes, I would be interested in knowing that also.
paul
Fascinating story and interesting how the trees were used as landmarks. I guess that after a while, it all looks the same without trees. 🙂 I remember having these in Texas. They weren’t exactly welcomed in the spring time because of all of the “cotton” that would blow off of the tree and get stuck on the A/C units cooling fins. We had be be constantly aware and wash the vents every day or so to keep the A/C from overheating! But, I still liked those trees – they were pretty.
Monte Stevens
Thank you, Paul. I’ve been lost in space for the past few days. Hopefully I’ll be back to posting soon.
oneowner
Cottonwoods were a favorite of the pioneers because it’s a fast growing hardwood, much faster than other hardwoods. We have quite a few in the woods behind our house and they are just beautiful, much like this photo.
Monte Stevens
Trees are becoming some of my favorite friends. I like to hang around them.
Mary Ann
Monte, where art thou?
Mary Ann
Monte Stevens
Been traveling and without internet or cell service, disconnected. No desire to write, nothing seems to be inside my head. Still shooting but not near what I’m used to shooting. I picked up my journal yesterday and realized it had been 10 days since my last entry, not like me. My parents are visiting and placing focus on our time together. I’ve also been struggling with a lot of back pain and when we hurt we do not have near the energy we normally have. Hope all is well with you guys. Hugs!
Mary Ann
Well, okay then! There are a few blogs I still look at daily and yours is one of them. When I noticed how long it had been since you posted, I got a little concerned. Sounds like you have some things, good and not-so-good, going on–but glad to hear you are still with us! Know that your entries are missed. Hope you get to feeling better, enjoy your time with your parents. Hope to see you up and posting again soon. Take care Monte! Mary Ann/theqpb