A Witness to History

As you drive along route 6 in Bureau county you come to the village of Mineral. If you turn on county road 10 and follow it for 3.5 miles you will come to the Witness Tree.  At 250 or more years old this tree has stood as a witness to every remarkable achievement in the America's.

It was here when the Continental Congress wrote the Declaration of Independence, It was here when the railroads made their way from sea to shining sea. It was here when the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter. It was here when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. It was here when Man first walked on the moon. It has been standing before there was even an America.

The Witness Tree sits on what used to be the old Sauk Fox trail, a native american trail that went form Rock Island on the Mississippi thru the Detroit and on to Canada. This tree was allegedly the meeting place for Chief Shabbona and the Fox and Sauk tribes.

When the railroad was being built near Mineral this tree was used as a reference or 'Witness' point from which it now gets its name. If you're ever in the area it sits by the side of the road in a quiet little glen all it's own and is definitely worth a moment to look upon its wonder. A big shout out to Carolyn Diller for suggesting I go pay it a visit.