Exhibit - The Roosevelt Elm
Just like the many buildings that once stood on the campus of Michigan State University when it was first established in 1855, the same can be said about the trees. Trees have been planted. They have also died from human means or natural causes (end of life, disease, wind storm, lighting struck, etc.) Today, there are over 20,000 trees on the campus of Michigan State University, but only one tree was planted by a United States President to honor the university’s semi-centennial.
In 1907, the university, then known as Michigan Agricultural College (M.A.C.), celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of opening in 1857. (Later on, the university would celebrate its anniversary from the date of its founding, 1855.) As plans were made for the college’s golden jubilee, M.A.C. President Jonathan Snyder, took it upon himself to travel to Washington D.C. to personally invite U.S. President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt to give the commencement address, to which he agreed.
On May 31, 1907, President Roosevelt spent a few hours on campus, and his itinerary was packed! He was driven to the campus from the Michigan Capitol in a Reo automobile driven by Ransom E. Olds, had lunch with approximately 50 guests inside the President’s Residence, No. 1 Faculty Row, gave a one hour and fifteen-minute commencement address, and presented diplomas to ninety-six graduates. In between all of that, a tree was quietly planted.
The college decided it would be nice to have President Roosevelt plant a tree during his visit. An elm tree was planted southeast of President Snyder’s home, No. 1 Faculty Row, southwest of Professor Vedder’s home, No. 2 Faculty Row, and north of West Circle Drive. This spot was selected for the safety of President Roosevelt. A guarded corridor of men extended from President Snyder’s front steps all the way to the commencement platform which was located near the northwest portion of (now) Adams Field.
According to LeMoyne Snyder (son of Jonathan Snyder), ground keeper Mr. Wilcox dug and prepared the hole. President Roosevelt and President Snyder walked down the corridor, Professor Thomas Gunson handed Roosevelt a spade who shoveled four to five mounds of dirt on the tree, and then continued to the graduation stage. Snyder also wrote how it was his responsibility to water the tree once a week, but since they did not have a hose long enough, he had to carry ten buckets of water to the young tree. The tree did not have a sign to indicate its importance because, according to Snyder, there was fear that the tree would be vandalized.
Shieled by anonymity, the sapling continued to thrive and grow into a beautiful tree. The tree was formally dedicated thirty years late by the Forestry Club. On a cold and drizzly Homecoming, November 13, 1937, Michigan State College President Robert Shaw formally dedicated the Roosevelt Elm in a small ceremony where a bronze plaque was placed at the base of the tree. When the plaque was placed, it created some confusion. Professor Gunson selected the tree, genus elm, but did not state what species it was. The tree was referred to as an “American elm”, but the Forestry Club submitted samples of the tree for classification. The results came back as a “Huntingdon elm” but the plaque read the tree as a “Huntington elm.”
Unfortunately, you will no longer find the Roosevelt Elm on campus. Many people think it succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease, but in fact, it was due to progress. The university needed housing for the thousands of students coming to campus after WWII. It was decided that Gilchrist Hall would be built in that location. Instead of cutting down the elm, the tree was transplanted from the north side of West Circle Drive to the south by dragging it 200 feet with a tractor in 1945. Regrettably, the tree did not thrive in its new location.
In the fall of 1947, according to Professor Malcolm Trout, he came upon the Building and Grounds Department staff who were in the process of cutting down the Roosevelt Tree. Trout and others obtained cross-sections of the historic elm as keepsakes. The University Archives has a piece of the elm that was presented to MSU President, John Hannah, and is preserved in his collection.
Sources
Beal, W. J. (1915). History of the Michigan Agricultural College and biographical sketches of trustees and professors. Agricultural College.
Kuhn, M. (1955). Michigan State: The first hundred years, 1855-1955. Michigan State University Press. Michigan State University Information Files. Roosevelt Tree. Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.
Piece of the Roosevelt Elm, presented to John Hannah, c. 1947-1957, Box 1656H, John A. Hannah papers, UA 2.1.12, Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.
Trout, G. M. (1983, May 24). The Roosevelt Elm. Michigan State University. East Lansing, Michigan. (Roosevelt Tree. MSU Information File.)
Widder, K. (2005). Michigan Agricultural College: The evolution of a land-grant philosophy, 1855-1925. Michigan State University Press.
Exhibit written by Jennie Rankin, December 2021.
Related Objects
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 |  President Roosevelt & R. E. Olds at the Michigan State Capitol, 1907 May 31, 1907 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  President Roosevelt rides in a Reo Motor car, 1907 1907 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
 President Roosevelt speaks on campus, 1907 June 1907 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  President Theodore Roosevelt Addresses Michigan Agricultural College, 1907 May 31, 1907 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |
 R. E. Olds drives President Roosevelt, 1907 May 31, 1907 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |  Roosevelt Elm Tree Plaque Dedication, November 13, 1937 November 13, 1937 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
 Roosevelt Elm Tree Plaque Dedication, November 13, 1937 November 13, 1937 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  Roosevelt Elm Tree Plaque Dedication, November 13, 1937 November 13, 1937 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |
 |  The M.A.C. Record; vol.12, no.37; June 4, 1907 June 4, 1907 Text: pdf MSU Archives and Historical Collections, MSU Libraries |  |
 Theodore Roosevelt Speaking at Commencement, 1907 May 31, 1907 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
