A single tree once stood guard over a hill in Arvada – a hackberry. For early settlers it was a landmark, its twisted trunk a seat for weary travelers. Legend whispers that a Native American chief was buried on that hill, with a hackberry seed in his medicine bag — the seed that became the tree itself. Residents protected it. Roads curved around it.
But in 1936, Jefferson County planned to straighten a road — right through the tree. The public was up in arms. So it was decided to transplant the tree. But before it could happen, someone snuck out one night… and cut it down. Years later, the culprit 'fessed up. His motive? Frustration with all the “wrangling over the darned old tree.” Today, a new hackberry grows nearby, and the name lives on in Hackberry Hill Elementary — a tribute to the tree that once held the spirit of Arvada.
About Colorado Postcards
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado.
