The Wishing Tree
The first time my morning walk took me down Summit Avenue, I found myself gazing up, up upward at the most magnificent white oak tree I had ever seen. My pace slowed as my heart filled with a sense of wonder and awe. I paused to take in its massive girth and widespread and welcoming branches and then felt a wash of serenity pass over me. I might have said a prayer; instead, I made a wish to the sky and whispered a promise to this glorious monument.
“The oaks and the pines, and their brethren of the wood, have seen so many suns rise and set, so many seasons come and go, and so many generations pass into silence, that we may well wonder what ‘the story of the trees’ would be to us if they had tongues to tell it, or we ears fine enough to understand” – Author Unknown
As I walked the sidewalk so graciously curving around the base, I noted a small plaque stating “This is a Moses Cleaveland Tree. It was standing here as part of the original forest when Moses Cleaveland landed at the Mouth of the Cuyahoga River, July 22, 1796. Let us preserve it as a living memorial to the first settlers of the Western Reserve.”
This was one of 150 native trees over the age of 150 years old selected in 1946 by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History as representative of those standing as noted above. Several hundred trees were nominated around the county and Lakewood is proud to have this noble giant.
Drive or walk down Summit Avenue and make your wish.