Books

Dusting Off the Old Ones

Two Rows of Trees

This story deals with two rows of cottonwood trees -- one of which you readers see every time you go to the cemetery and no doubt pay little attention to them. The other row used to grace the center of Strevell Avenue, where it abuts Wibaux Park. A great many of our readers should remember the row of trees in the center of Strevell Avenue, dividing the street into two lanes the entire length of the Park. These trees were planted in the early eighties by the late Judge Jason W. Strevell and formed a part of the fence along the west side of his homestead. After the death of Judge Strevell, L. W. Stacy became the owner of the property. When Pierre Wibaux passed away and left $10,000 to the city of Miles City with which to purchase a park site, the city negotiated with Mr. Stacy for the present site of Wibaux Park. The Strevell home was just about the center of what now constitutes the Park. When the Park was laid out along about 1915, Strevell Avenue was opened up to the full width of sixty-eight feet, and this row of cottonwoods was right down the center of the avenue, and there they remained until 1933, when the concrete pavement was laid. There was quite a remonstrance over the idea of removing these trees with several committees of citizens waiting on the city fathers in an effort to save the cottonwoods from destruction, but the city engineer advised the council that it would not be practical to pave that portion of Strevell Avenue and leave the trees in, so out they came.

The story of the other row of trees will have to wait until next week.