Centuries-old oak tree in Manitoba community knocked down by storm
Residents of Souris, Man. want to see a permanent memorial put in place to remember a beloved old oak tree that was blown down during a severe thunderstorm last week.
Becky Smith was taking her usual morning walk through Victoria Park in Souris on June 20, when she came across a disturbing sight.
"I was shocked when I saw it because it's been there for hundreds of years," said Smith.
She had come across the park's "Old Oak Tree," as residents fondly refer to it, broken in half, with the upper portion knocked over on the ground. The tree had been knocked over by the previous night's severe thunderstorm.Smith took a photo of the tree and posted it to the community Facebook page.
"I'm so sorry to report, the Old Oak Tree didn't survive last night's storm," said the post.
The comments began pouring in.
"Lots of sadness, a lot of people said, 'so many childhood memories about that tree, sorry to see it's gone,'" Smith said.
The tree was designated as a Manitoba Heritage Tree in 2015 by the Manitoba Forestry Association.
According to the Manitoba Tree Register, the tree is reputed to be at least 500 years old. Jim Ludlam thinks it's older.
"I came to Souris in 1958. I was told then they had a 500-year-old oak tree," he said.
Ludlam became involved with the park shortly after he arrived, and has served on the Victoria Park advisory board in nearly every capacity over the decades.
He said they've always taken the time to take care of the tree, maintaining the grounds around it, and even installing protective fencing.
"At one time we tried to bore holes in the ground to kind of aerate it, because with the compacted soil, it's not good for oak trees," he said.
Ludlam said the Old Oak used to be a very good-looking tree, but its health had begun to decline in recent years.
"Now we'll be able to figure out - with the rings in it - how old it really was," he said.
Smith has many fond childhood memories of the tree. "Every year when we were in elementary school, we would go up to the tree and look at it," she said.
"It’s a sad piece of our history to lose."
Both Souris residents would like to see a permanent memorial put in place to remember the tree.
"A few suggestions were to plant a new tree in its place, put a plaque up," Smith said. "I would like a plaque and maybe a time capsule, something that can be opened 100 years from now."
Ludlam thinks there should be a cross-section of the tree showing people how old it was, along with a brief write-up about its history.
"I would sure like to see something done. Just a little monument or something in memory of that tree. It's been there a long time."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole Porsche and ran over its owner
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
Woman nearly shut out of mother's estate sues brother in B.C. Supreme Court – and wins
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
Woman shot by B.C. police was Colombian refugee with young daughter, advocate says
Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.
3 injured after man with knife enters Montreal-area mosque
Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.
Kamala Harris tells Oprah any intruder to her home is 'getting shot'
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris on Thursday issued a warning to any potential home intruder: 'If somebody breaks in my house, they're getting shot.'
Teen arrested in New Brunswick after emergency alert; 5 people in custody
A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.
On the trail of the mystery woman whose company licensed exploding pagers
What Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, 49, the Italian-Hungarian CEO and owner of Hungary-based BAC Consulting, says she hasn't done is make the exploding pagers that killed 12 people and wounded more than 2,000 in Lebanon this week.
'We're still pushing hard': Search for missing Manitoba boy continues, RCMP find tracks
The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.
Video released of person of interest after cat is allegedly set on fire in Orillia, Ont.
Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.