The Tree was born of unusual and tragic circumstances in the pre-Columbian prairie that would become Nebraska. As a young tree, it was fortunate that it was not the victim of a tornado or other weather denizens. Once The Tree was a hundred years old, it was able to take the arrows of young Pawnee honing their skills as well as being part of their festivals. Slaves fleeing the South looked for the bent branch on The Tree to point them correctly onto the North. But The Tree valued above all the ones that came to talk to it, finding its shade and shelter a haven for their thoughts and even a spoken word or two.

The Tree still grows today, inviting others to come to its haven.