Local dignitaries dug their shovels into rich soil, Thursday morning, and tossed the dirt around a young bur oak tree, newly planted at the city’s venerable Collyer Park to mark Longmont’s 150th anniversary.
The bur oak was picked because it is durable, tough and likely to last 150 years, which mirrors the resilience of Longmont, said local officials who gathered for the ceremony.
“My hope is that on the 300th anniversary of Longmont, the tree will still be here as will our ancestors,” said Dale Rademacher, Longmont’s deputy city manager.
Planting a tree is symbolic of Longmont’s deep roots and soaring aspirations, said Longmont Mayor Brian Bagley in a city news release. Bagley was not present at Thursday’s tree planting but his words were read by Mayor Pro Tem Aren Rodriguez. The tree “connects us to the land we know as home, and which is the ancestral home to the Arapaho and other tribes before us,” Bagley said in the news release.
“We honor that rich history with a tree that can flourish alongside our community, embellishing one of our historic parks and serving as a reminder of Longmont’s resilience and strength,” he said.
The tree planting was sponsored by Longmont Power & Communications, the city’s electric utility. The tree includes a plaque honoring the city’s founding in 1871 and its growth since then as a “vigorous, healthy and strong community,” the news release states.
Speakers, Thursday, noted that members of the Chicago colony — which eventually became Longmont — carried buckets of water from the St. Vrain Creek to help local trees flourish. Rademacher also said Longmont has been designated as a Tree City USA for 41 years.
“Trees have always been extremely important to Longmont,” he said.
LPC’s Executive Director David Hornbacher said, in the news release, as Longmont’s municipal power provider since 1912, the utility has shared in the history of Longmont and its members are excited for its future. Hornbacher, Rodriguez, and council members Joan Peck, Polly Christensen and Marcia Martin helped replace the dirt around the tree.
“Our city has an exciting story to celebrate, and it’s an honor for us to be part of that,” Hornbacher said.
