When Colorado Springs was founded in 1871, it was a nearly treeless, arid plain. Our founder, General William Jackson Palmer, changed that by planting thousands of trees.

To celebrate this legacy, the city has challenged the community to help plant 18,071 new trees by the end of 2021. This month, some of those trees will be planted on the hillside above Helen Hunt Falls in North Cheyenne Cañon Park.

Among his many legacies, General Palmer bestowed more than 2,000 acres of parkland upon the city. These parks — including Alamo, Acacia, Antlers, Monument Valley and Palmer Park — still include some of the most sweeping, majestic views in the world.  

Another of Palmer's amazing gifts to our community is our tree-lined city streets. When he gazed across the blank canvas of land along Fountain Creek with the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak as a backdrop, the Civil War hero and railroad magnate saw not emptiness, but rather envisioned a burgeoning European style city.

To help convey his vision, Palmer laid out the broad streets of the community and had 10,000 trees delivered and planted to create a verdant lushness. Today, it is difficult to imagine Colorado Springs without its established urban forest.

Perhaps coincidentally, next year marks another significant sesquicentennial: the 150th anniversary of the first Arbor Day. The event was founded on April 10, 1872 to encourage tree planting on the plains of the Nebraska Territory. It is estimated that more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska on that first Arbor Day.

The idea quickly spread and by the early 20th century, tree planting was celebrated across the nation. Today, National Arbor Day is officially the last Friday of April, although many states mark the occasion on different dates depending on optimal tree-planting times.

The trees designated for planting around Helen Hunt Falls are scheduled to arrive April 23 with planting planned for April 30 and May 1, weather permitting. A few volunteers will help with the planting.

If you can’t make it to the tree planting in North Cheyenne Cañon Park, you can still participate in the Sesquicentennial Tree Challenge by planting your own trees. The city has a website that includes a list of recommended trees, planting tips, and a fun COS150 Tree Tracker to include your new trees in the final tabulation. Your trees will then appear on the official Tree Tracker Map. So far, 3,735 trees have been planted by 1,388 participants.

Visit coloradosprings.gov/tree150 for details.