Exploring the Arboretum
Section Wade features a unique collection of dwarf dawn
redwoods (Metasequoia glyptostroboides, see below), offering a compact version of this remarkable
species. The dawn redwood was once known only from fossils until it was
rediscovered in China in the 1940s. This historical event and its
reintroduction to cultivation is considered one of the greatest botanical
discoveries of the 20th century. These smaller cultivars allow visitors to
appreciate the tree’s feathery foliage and seasonal color at a more intimate
scale.
Significant Figures
Map
Reference: Stop 12, Letter ee
Welles Colton
White Cloud Incident | Lot #27
Welles Colton, along with his law partner, Russell Prentiss, was removing legal documents just ahead of the White Cloud fire, which engulfed St. Louis on May 17, 1849. In their hurry, both men were injured by an explosion caused by volunteer firefighters creating a firebreak. Welles died within days. Russell, who never fully recovered, passed away just a few months later in August during the 1849 cholera outbreak.
