The Original Dreaming Tree

The Original Dreaming Tree. Disney Family Farm. In 1906 Elias Disney purchased the William Crane Farm located on the outskirts of Marceline, Missouri. The entire family was enlisted by Elias and Flora to help maintain the farm, tasking a young Walt with the responsibility of keeping an eye on his little sister Ruth., Walter and Ruth would often escape to this very location where they would find solitude under the dappled leaves of a majestic cottonwood tree that Walt would later nickname his 'Dreaming Tree.' Ruth would often recall the fun times she shared with her big brother as they climbed amidst the sturdy branches and played in the cool tall grass under this intrinsic part of their very unique Midwest childhood., Elias rarely encouraged his youngest son to pursue his passion for drawing, never imagining that 'art' would provide the basis for a well paying career. Luckily his very observant Aunt Margaret noticed a spark of artistic promise in her young nephew. Every visit Margaret would covertly provide Walter with Big Chief Drawing Tablets and a steady supply of sharpened pencils. This visionary gift gave Walt the ability to quietly lie beneath his beloved 'Dreaming Tree' and slowly hone his craft., Walt Disney often credited this exact location as the birthplace of his creativity. , Did you know?, A total of three saplings were produced by seeds harvested from the original Dreaming Tree. In 2003 one of those saplings was planted by Walt's grandson Bradford Disney Lund not more than thirty feet from this very location. A second sapling was gifted to Disneyland and was planted on Tom Sawyer's Island. The third seedling was secretly planted somewhere on the Disney Family Farm to ensure its historic legacy., Did you know?, Cottonwood trees have a typical lifespan of between 70-100 years. Walt's Dreaming Tree lived to be over 120 years before it was struck by lightning in 2008., The remains of that historic tree eventually blew over during a fierce windstorm on May 28, 2015. , Walt's Dreaming Tree was officially registered as an historic tree by American Forests.