It's not hard to find a good story in the panhandle if you look hard enough. Do you know the sadly funny story of the Texas panhandle's first tree?

Buckle up.

The First Tree Was Planted in the Texas Panhandle

One of the more popular jokes about the area is that all the trees you see were brought here. That's exactly what happened with the panhandle's "first" tree. The tree was brought here as a sapling by Thomas Cree after the Civil War while he was working for the Union Pacific rail.

Sarah Clark/TSM
Sarah Clark/TSM
loading...

The First Tree Was Part of a "Honey Do" List

According to the historical marker located at the site of the first tree, Thomas B. Cree traveled over 30 miles to get the sapling. Why make such a trip just to get a tree? His wife told him to.

Husbands everywhere can relate.

The marker states that he traveled "35 miles at his wife's request." Sounds like a honey do to me. I won't ever complain about taking out the trash again.

Sarah Clark/TSM
Sarah Clark/TSM
loading...

The Reason For Transplanting The First Tree...

...is actually very understandable. When Thomas Cree and his wife decided to settle on the high plains, there was no lumber. They had to build a dugout house.

101.9 The Bull logo
Get our free mobile app

In case you aren't familiar with what a dugout house is, you can compare it to a hobbit's house from those Lord Of The Rings movies. Except these usually aren't nearly as ornate or comfortable. They were temporary until a proper home could be built out of logs.

Which leads us back to the 35 mile journey to find something that would eventually produce logs.

Sarah Clark/TSM
Sarah Clark/TSM
loading...

The Tragic End of The First Tree

This is a bit bittersweet. Cree's little sapling never grew to be a massive tree. However, it survived blizzards, droughts, summer heat, and everything else the panhandle could throw at it.

That is, until the 1970s.

attachment-20211011_222809004_iOS
Sarah Clark/TSM
loading...

Good Intentions Could Be Blamed For Tree's Demise

According to legend there was a woman on the Texas panhandle who, one would assume, was attempting to care for the tree. After all, in the 1960s the Men's Garden Clubs of America made a special trip just pay homage to the panhandle's first tree and a historical marker was placed and dedicated to it.

It was an important tree.

The story goes that this well meaning woman sprayed weed killer on the site. Unfortunately, that would lead to the little sapling's demise.

Local legend even goes on to state that she was subsequently removed from the historical society. A bit heavy handed if you ask me. I seriously doubt she had some personal vendetta against the first tree in the Texas panhandle.

Sarah Clark/TSM
Sarah Clark/TSM
loading...

The Tree You See Now Isn't The Actual Tree

No, the tree you see now isn't the actual tree. Instead it is a "replacement" of sorts that was planted in 1990 by citizens of the county.

The historical marker doesn't state exactly how the tree died. That part is all local legend. It simply states that citizens planted a new tree there to honor the early pioneers of the area.

The Tree May Be Dead, But The Legend Lives On

As far as I am concerned, the most incredible part of this story is that it all started with a honey do task. Now, well over a century later here we all are thinking about that little sapling, Thomas Cree, and Thomas Cree's wife telling him to travel 35 miles to get a tree so they could move out of the dirt.

10 Myths About Texas That Even Some Natives Believe

Everything's bigger in Texas, including the tall tales! Our state can seem pretty strange to people from far away, or even our immediate neighbors. There are several myths about Texas that range from quirky to fun and just plain ignorant and insulting, and even some people born and raised her believe 'em. Here are a few we can dispel today.

The Legendary Stories Behind These Six Weird Texas Town Names

It's no secret that Texas is home to some pretty strange town names. While the names of these places are strange enough on their own, sometimes the story behind the name is even stranger.

Top 15 Under the Radar Cities in Texas

Texas is booming, and as more people move here, they'll be looking at areas like Austin or Houston to settle down. There are plenty of others places they ought to consider, though.

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, along with data about home sales and public school ratings, Orchard recently ranked and graded the Top 15 Under the Radar Cities in Texas.

These are unexpectedly good places to make a life for yourself and your family in the Lone Star State. Did your hometown make the list?

More From 101.9 The Bull