Nebraska's Carl Milton Aldrich and the Arbor Day Song - Paperback

by Rachel Brupbacher (Author)

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.

Author Biography

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.