Name This Peoria Landmark

Peoria Landmark #440

This is indeed inside the Peoria Zoo at Glen Oak Park and can be found entering the “Asia” exhibit from the new entry pavilion.  What caught my attention was a small plaque partially hidden by the plants (bottom left of photo.)  Uncovering it, I found this:

PEORIA HISTORICAL GROVE
Founded by
Mr. & Mrs. Walter C. Talley
January 8, 1934
Dedicated to
The memory of the pioneers who
blazed the trails of our great nation
and to the brave patriots whose
historical deeds we shall ever remember.
Registered American Tree Association
Washington, D.C.

In a brief Google search I could find almost nothing about the “American Tree Association” beyond several historical references dating from the 20′s to the 50′s and a wordpress blog with a single post from 2008, but I did find this interesting piece in the “Foresty Almanac”, published by the American Tree Association, 1924.

The American Tree Association is the recruiting agency of the Tree Planting Army, which in April, 1924 had a total enlistment of more than 80,000 members.  Its fundamental aim is the carrying on of educational work to put the “tree in forestry.”  [...]

Membership in the American Tree Association demands only one qualification – to have planted a tree.  It involves no dues.  There is, of course, the implied agreement to care for the tree so planted and to plant more trees to keep it company.

There are no references to the “Peoria Historical Grove” (until now, that is) in a google search.

Note: Glen Oak Park was dedicated in 1896; the zoo, 1955.

Thank You, Alison.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 29th, 2012 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Glen Oak Park, Peoria Zoo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.