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| North Half-Way Tree (willow) |
1,374 miles
Feb 7 – Before
the provincial highway system was built, trails across the prairie were not marked
by signs, so natural features such as large trees were useful landmarks. A tree beside the Trans-Canada Highway has
been used by generations of travelers between Winnipeg and Brandon to mark the
half-way point along their journey. The
Half-Way Tree has become a cherished local feature, and plans to cut it down in
the interest of highway safety have been protested vigorously.
But which tree is the true Half-Way Tree? Local opinions differ.
One tree is
a 40-ft willow that stands along the north side of the Trans-Canada Highway
closer to Portage la Prairie. This is an
official Manitoba Heritage Tree and is listed in Heritage Trees of Manitoba, a
publication of the Manitoba Forestry Association. It’s now called the North Half-Way Tree,
since it’s on the north side of the superhighway.
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| South Half-Way Tree (cottonwood) |
The other
tree (the South Half-Way Tree) is a cottonwood on the south side of the
east-bound highway lane in the Municipality of North Norfolk (including Sidney,
MacGregor, & Bagot). It is a local
favorite, and is mentioned on the Manitoba Historical Society website, but is
not officially recognized with heritage status.
This Half-Way Tree is periodically decorated with a few Christmas
ornaments, ribbons, shoes and assorted stuff. This could be the traffic safety issue that
highway officials worry about, if people keep stopping on the highway to visit
the tree. Perhaps the highway could use a couple of roadside
picnic areas to allow people to visit these trees safely.
Neither of these trees is exactly halfway between Brandon & Winnipeg now. In fact, they are about 9 km (5 miles) apart. It seems that the building of highways and a bypass has changed the actual mileage since the olden days.
The South
Half-Way cottonwood tree has been nominated for official Heritage status and
legal protection. The Manitoba Forestry
Association looks for trees which are:
· - historic or culturally significant – associated
with an important historic event or have considerable cultural importance;
· - record –
the largest, broadest, or oldest of their species in Manitoba or an
example of a species that is extremely rare in Manitoba; or
· - notable – found in a unique location, have
unique characteristics or features, or have attracted public or scientific
recognition as an example of its species.
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