(Atlantic, Iowa) – You have probably seen, or at least heard of, “The Tree in the Middle of the Road.” The Cottonwood tree has become a landmark in Audubon County. The story is when the county lines were being established the surveyor placed a green cottonwood stick into the ground at the exact point where the lines crossed and grew into the present tree. You have a chance to learn more about the landmark. Mary Rendleman Gilchrist is the presenter at Cass County Genealogical Society. Her presentation begins at 1-p.m. at the Atlantic Public Library.

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Gilchrist is a part of the Parker family who put a branch in the soil between Cass and Audubon Counties. It grew into the tree in the middle of the road. The tree is a popular item on the internet. Gilchrist also tells of the Crooked Creek Gang terrorizing the area, and death by cholera, influenza and a cyclone. The Parker family also survived an earthquake and a year without a summer.

The Cass County Genealogical Society is a membership organization with the purpose of preserving, compiling and helping maintain genealogy and historical data particularly of ancestors and early settlers of southwest Iowa. Anyone needing information about people, buildings, businesses and more may request assistance. Make contact at 712-243-5466, casscgs@gmail.com, or visit the Library. Everybody is welcome to the presentations.