|
Because
he couldn't saw through completely, Mr. Etmanskie got into
his skidder and pushed the tree over. Upon inspection of the
stump, he was amazed to discover a horseshoe laid flat in
the center of the giant red pine, framed by the 42" wide
trunk. "If we would've cut one inch lower or one inch
higher, we never would have found it," he said.
Horseshoe embedded in the trunk of a giant red pine.
News of the discovery spread among workers and townspeople.
Museum curator David Kelley recognized the interest tourists
might have in the find and wanted it for the museum. "It's
so well-preserved, it's not rusty and it's not damaged in
any way," he said.
Two cross sections of the tree, one containing the embedded
horseshoe and nail, and the other containing the complementary
impression of the horseshoe, are now on display at the Mission
House Museum. When tourists visit the exhibit, nearly every
one of them asks the same questions: Whom did the shoe belong
to? How did it come to be embedded in the center of the tree?
How long has it been there? How did the tree survive?
Mr.
Kelley's opinion is that part of the intrigue comes from the
fact that there are more questions than answers regarding
the exhibit. He now knows it's a #5 winter horseshoe, with
long, sharp points that help a horse grip icy paths.
Cross sections of the tree showing the horseshoe and the imprint.
|
