Photo courtesy of Vintage Prince Edward County

The Wishing Tree - Ian Taylor Collection

Once upon a time a magical maple tree grew near West Lake, in Prince Edward County, Eastern Ontario, Canada. At the time, it was said to be the largest maple treein the world, and the last great maple east of the Rocky Mountains.

An easily recognized landmark, the tree was a meeting place for the Native people of the area. Elders and leaders met under the tree while the tribe gathered nearby preparing food and making temporary camp. The children and youth would play close to the tree, gathering small bits of bark from the ground and tossing them up into thetree. Of the bark caught on a branch or in a nook, then the thrower of the bark was granted a wish - hence the tree's name: the Wishing Tree.

Mohawk and Algonquin peoples met in the shade and shelter of the magical tree. They traded crafts, tools, horses, and food. Seasonally the tribes gathered for feasts and pow-wows, giving thanks for the abundance and creating opportunities for young people to meet their mates. Throughout North America, the Wishing Tree was renowned in many Native Communities as the site of gatherings and celebrations, Tribes also resolved conflicts, negotiated territory, and formed trade agreements at the tree. It is said that in the sixteenth century the Wishing Tree was where local Mohawks negotiated their joining with the Iroquois League.

In the eighteenth century, when Europeans settlers came to the area they, too, discovered the Wishing Tree and met there with Native leaders to trade and negotiate land rights. As the population grew, the path to the tree was widened to accommodate horseback travelers and a larger volume of visitors.

In the later 1700s, a wave of United Empire Loyalists, felling the American Revolution, settled in Prince Edward County. Crossing Lake Ontario, they landed in the area. They stayed because they enjoyed the fertile lands and the island's isolation.

The increased settler population brought change to the area. Native communities moved away into hunting lands that were still fertile and abundant. The settlers built permanent homes and buildings. Increased population also brought increased travel along the path where the Wishing Tree stood. When a road was built to accommodate wagon travel, it was constructed around the tree.

Like the Native inhabitants, the settlers regarded the Wishing tree as a sacred place, a place of peace. Many families traveled to it for family picnics and outings. It was popular with young lovers who would go sit quietly under its lush branches and wish on true love. Almost everyone who came would gather bark, throw it into the tree, and if it stick make a wish.

In the late 1800s, the girth of the Wishing Tree was measured at over eighteen feet. It was documented to be over 160 feet in height, and then estimated to be roughly 670 years old. The Wishing Tree had witnessed many changes: the gathering of Native peoples, the arrival of European settlers, the arrival of the Empire Loyalists, and the gradual departure of the Native peoples. As the residents of the area changed, theWishing Tree remained - a place of peace and magic.

In 1925, the Wishing Tree was hit by lightning. Local residents trimmed off the damaged branches and limbs in an attempt to save the tree. Ay this time, the age of the tree was then confirmed to be more than 700 years. In 1953, the Wishing Tree finally died. It was cut to the ground leaving only a massive stump. With the stump exposed, the growth circles of the tree were counted - confirming its age to be 731 years.

From: https://www.millard-and-kleinsteuber-histories.com/blog/the-wishing-tree-at-west-lake