The White Oak of St. James

The White Oak of St. James. . , [Captions on arrows out from the center of the wood:] , 1860 City of St. James Established. Our Tree Sprouts. , 1865 Civil War Ends! , 1875 Maramec River forges [unreadable] , 1880 [unreadable] is Born in St. James. , [Unreadable] Italians Arrive and the Grape Industry is Born. , 1895 [Unreadable] Established. , 1924 [Unreadable] First Woman Mayor in Missouri , [Unreadable] The First Grape and Fall Festival , 1938 Lucy Wortham James [Unreadable] , 1941 The [Unreadable] is Established. , [Remainder is unreadable], Majestically alone he stands , Reaching to heav'n his gnarled hands , His massive trunk and spreading girth , Shading an acre of God's earth., Oh mighty tree, could you but speak , Of year by year and week by week , The sights that you have doubtless seen , While standing on this hilltop green., You saw the wand'ring Redmen pass , With scarce a ripple of the grass , Stalking the turkey and the deer , That fed upon your acorns here., As skyward yet you stretched your crown , Shawnee and Osage bedded 'round , In quest of ocher plant to wear , Upon their face and in their hair., When James and Massey here were led , They saw the wondrous hill of red , And marveled at the crystal flow , Of water from the depths below., Great tree, you saw the frenzy then , The enterprise of many men , Horses and mules and oxen too, , Civilization came to you., The stillness of the nearby glen , Was shattered by the ironworks then , Clanging anvils and spewing ore , Wagons passing to fill the store., Axemen ravaged the forest land , Hardwood charcoal was in demand , Why were you spared, Oh mighty oak , When siblings fell to cutter's stroke?, You felt the tremor of the ground , When rails were laid into the town , And iron horse with belching stack , Came daily chuffing down the track., Did you hear guns of blue and gray , As Yanks and Johnnies passed your way? , Were those who fell, by comrades laid , In shallow graves beneath your shade?, Your grounds became the resting place , Of pioneers who'd run the race , Finished the course and gone to stand , At the judgment gate to the promised land., Te years have passed and once again , There is a stillness in the glen , Thru wind and storm and strife you've stood , To guard the place of brotherhood., Oh lovely tree, so strong and tall , We're glad that you survived it all , And daily showed us by your stand , That your Creator's in command., W.D. Parkinson , January 1983. , [Caption:] , This beautiful white oak, Quercus alba, sprouted in 1860 in what was then known as the Masonic cemetery. The tree has inspired the citizens of Saint James for 150 years, and will live on in our memories., Special Thanks to the James Foundation, Walmart Distribution, City of St. James, Ben Smith, Robert Tessaro, and Wilson Lumber.