Council Oak in 1921
Council Oak, often described as the most famous tree in Iowa,
was nominated for a Hall of Fame for trees in 1921 by Miss Susie Brown of
Marion.
The 265-year-old tree tree in Sioux City’s Riverside Park is located a few hundred yards from the
junction of the Missouri and the Big Sioux Rivers. The surrounding area
includes summer cottages and the lodges of two area boat clubs.
Tradition
holds that white settlers and Native Americans met under the tree to plan wars
against other tribes and to plan proposed raids on settlements of encroaching
white men.
The
oak measures nearly four feet in diameter and rises nearly 100 feet high. The tree died out in the 1970s.
