THE HANGING TREE

When Archie McColl and Florence Lehnert were married in 1930, a portion of the Archie McColl, Sr. homestead on Scott County Road #16 became their farm. They set about building a new home near the biggest and shadiest oak tree they saw. The girth of the tree hasn't changed much in these 45 years but the branches have grown thicker and the huge crown extends into utility wires and nearly to the house. Without borings, knowledgeable men have estimated the tree to be anywhere from six to eight hundred years old. It is 12' 6 1/2" in diameter.

We wish the tree could talk rather than whisper through its rustling leaves. Perhaps it could tell us about the time over 100 years ago when Uncle John McColl ran home in fright upon seeing several Indians hanging from its branches. John didn't know that nearby, bands of Indians used the strong high branches of the tree inn freezing weather to hang their dead. It was a good choice because when spring came, dirt could be scratch away with primitive tools from a spot on Teepee Hill on nearby credit Rive where a mass burial could be conducted. When these many bodies were covered, and Indian mound resulted. The tree was glad to help the Indians project the bodies of their loved ones from the mutilation of wild animals. Ordinarily platforms were laboriously built for the same purpose.

We wish, too, that the tree could tell us about the fur trader from the Larpenteur Trading Post between Hamilton (now Savage) and Teepee Hill on the Credit River, who craftily hid his gold between the roots of this tree. It was in the early 1800's when a young man, later in the employ of Uncle Neill McColl, told of accompanying the fur trader with his furs to the Sibley headquarters at Mendota. The trader became very ill and knowing he was going to die told the young man that he had buried a considerable amount of gold (the currency of that time) by a big oak tree, west of the post. This man dug as did many others but only dirt was turned up. Perhaps a hundred years later the tree watched Archie McColl with a geiger counter which he had borrowed from workmen trying to locate water pipes to the barn. Archie remembered the story told to his uncles so wandered if this might be the tree. The geiger counter went wild! About 10 years before this writing (1976), three young boys from this area...Mark Olson, Keith Johnson, and Tom Young, visited the tree with their teacher. The tree watched them looking wide-eyed as they listened to Archie, now 81 years of age, tell them the story of the pot of gold. Excitedly they asked, "Why don't you dig it up?" With a knowing twinkle in his eye, Archie replied, "To tell you the truth, boys, I don't need it right now. If I should, I know where it is."

The tree again watched when the gravel pit opened on Teepee Hill, and spread on the road from the house and driveway to County Road #16. He was sad to see leg bones, arm bones, and some bits of black hair in the gravel. He wondered if that was all that was left of some of his friends he had helped before burial in Teepee Hill. The tree was a bit surprised to see a jaw bone with gold dental work turn up too. But then he had heard that some white friends had been buried with their Indian friends at Teepee Hill.

The tree has watched Archie, Florence, and their three children for many years. He has watched them rake and haul hundreds of bushels of leaves as he just shimmied and shook loose more leaves all the while saying to himself, "I know a lot more than you'll ever find out." Bea Nordstrom
The Hanging Tree