Nebraska's Carl Milton Aldrich and the Arbor Day Song

by Arcadia Publishing

Overview

The Origins of the Arbor Day Song

Since 1910, the Arbor Day Song has been a cherished part of Nebraska's tree-planting holiday tradition. Its author, Carl Milton Aldrich, belonged to an exceptionally talented family that included his mother, a Woman's Christian Temperance Union co-founder, and retail magnate Harry Selfridge. Born to pioneering associates of J. Sterling Morton, the Otoe County native became a leading meatpacking expert and prominent political activist who associated with some of the most powerful men in Gilded Age America. For thirty years, he expertly managed Nebraska City's largest business, the Morton-Gregson Company, and was one of Arbor Day's most influential promoters. Rachel Brupbacher, his great-great-granddaughter recounts the inspiring story of how he guided his hometown through both its golden years and darkest hours before selflessly working for the sake of its future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467152990
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	09/12/2022
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Rachel Brupbacher is a great-great-granddaughter of Carl Milton Aldrich and, through him, a descendant of some of Nebraska's earliest settlers. As the fifth generation of her family to have lived in the "Tree Planter State," she graduated summa cum laude from a private Nebraska college with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French, German and history. In both this book and her first, Miles Minor Kellogg and the Encinitas Boathouses (The History Press, 2021), Rachel blends her love of storytelling with her passion for reviving the past.

Table of Contents

Foreword Tammy Partsch 11

Acknowledgements 13

Introduction 15

Part I The Story 21

1 Birth of a Pioneer 23

2 Back to the West 37

3 Politics in Peoria 52

4 Tied to the Great Packing Machine 68

5 Manager for the Mortons 81

6 Oh, Arbor Day! 96

7 A Pork-Packing Poet 117

8 Roses of Memory 138

Part II The Poems 153

Appendix 179

Notes 181

Bibliography 201

About the Author 207