Long-gone tree can't rest in peace

There is a monument on 600 East celebrating the "lone cedar tree," purported to be the only cedar tree in the Salt Lake Valley when the pioneers arrived in 1847.

The language inscribed on the monument touts the tree as a place where pioneers would stop to say prayers of gratitude and sing. The tree, says the monument, was "Utah's first famous landmark."

But the truth is that the lone cedar wasn't a tree at all, according to Philip Notarianni, the director of the Division of State History. Rather, it was a post.

The post, however, has a history of calling attention to itself every few decades.

Roger Roper, who works for the division, was doing research on the area near the tree, Notarianni said. This research stirred up this year's investigation into the history of the tree.

Roper found an article in the Salt Lake Tribune dated June 1, 1919, which talked about the old cedar post — the first recorded time the post's history was called into question. According to the article, Notarianni said, a resident of the area had been taking care of the tree for years when it was damaged by lightning. She called in workers to repair the damage, and it was discovered the tree had no roots. It was a sawed-off post, not a tree. At that time, the post was moved to the median in the center of the street.

The post is part of more valley lore that says it was put on its current street by Brigham Young to serve as a guidepost for pioneers coming into the valley. That, at least, is consistent with the monument, which says the street north of the monument was the original emigration road.

The "tree" and its monument have been a source of conflict for years, Notarianni said. In 1953, vandals cut the post down. A. Russell Mortensen, director of the division, nearly lost his job after telling the Deseret News that the loss of the stump was no historical tragedy since it was just an "old dead stump with little historical value."

The Daughters of Utah Pioneers erected another monument in 1960, ending the post's second stint in the limelight. By that time, vandals had taken the rest of the stump.

Notarianni disagrees with Mortensen's assessment of the lone cedar post as historically insignificant. The post has a place in history because, he said, "People want to believe that this was the lone cedar tree in the valley."

Notarianni said the post, the myths surrounding it, the monuments and even the disputes about the pole have all become a part of Utah history. So both monuments will remain in place until the next time the pole's questionable history catches someone's eye.

---

E-mail: dmaxfield@desnews.com