Sometimes, engineers spend years planning the layout of an intersection. Other times, the process is more straightforward. The intersection of 350th Street and 710th Street near Brayton, Iowa, falls in the latter category: there’s a massive Cottonwood tree that serves as a roundabout.
What came first, the tree or the road? Good question. The tree’s history is a little murky. Travel Iowa offers a plausible explanation: in the 19th century, a surveyor tasked with establishing county lines in the area put a Cottonwood sprout in the ground to mark the boundary of Audubon County. The sprout liked it there and grew into the majestic tree you see today. It’s now about 100 feet tall, and allegedly over 170 years old.
Maybe that’s accurate, or maybe someone from a neighboring town planted the tree and secretly watered it every night to piss off a rival farmer. I’m inclined to believe the tree’s age, however. It’s huge, and if it was planted in, say, the 1950s it likely would have been run over too many times to grow. What’s certain is that it’s there. It’s pretty much a roundabout, and I can’t help but wonder how many cars it’s claimed over the years.
The tree has become a minor phenomenon. It has its own Facebook page. It’s also labeled as a historical landmark on Google Maps, with an excellent rating of 4.7 stars out of five based on 154 reviews. Some of the more negative reviews complain about the graffiti on the tree’s trunk and having to drive on a dirt road to see it. I understand the concerns about the graffiti; why you’d paint a dick, a Chevrolet bowtie (?!), or the current year on any tree is beyond me. But the dirt road? What did you expect in rural Iowa, a subway line that’s jam-packed with people?
Check out the Tree in the Middle of the Road the next time you’re in the area—and, please, leave the spray paint at home.
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