History of Arbor Day

Arbor Day was founded in 1872, in Nebraska by J. Sterling Morton who had recently moved to Nebraska from Michigan and missed the trees and forests of his home state. He quickly began planting trees on his own property and as editor of Nebraska's first newspaper spread his enthusiasm of trees to his audience. The Nebraska State Board of Agriculture accepted a resolution by Morton "to set aside one day to plant trees, both forest and fruit." As a result, more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on that day. Today, national Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April.

Arbor Day in Wyoming

In 1888, before Wyoming was even a state, the territorial legislature passed the Arbor Day Law and on April 27 Arbor Day was celebrated in Cheyenne and across the territory. Nowadays, Wyoming State Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Monday in April.  However, cities and towns across the state choose their own dates to celebrate locally. Many communities choose to plant trees while others provide free trees to residents and still others plan educational events to promote the benefits of trees. However your community celebrates Arbor Day, get involved and become a tree advocate!

Arbor Day Poster Contest

In conjunction with Arbor Day, Wyoming Project Learning Tree and Wyoming State Forestry Division sponsor a competitive poster contest each year for 4th and 5th grade students. The state winner is invited to Cheyenne for the State Arbor Day celebration where they receive several awards including a plaque and framed copy of their poster. Each year there is a poster theme and associated curriculum available to teachers for download. To learn more about the poster contest and download this year's curriculum, go to Wyoming Project Learning Tree's website here.