LONG LIVE WYOMING’S GEORGE WASHINGTON ELM
The story of Wyoming’s George Washington Elm, located on the State Capitol grounds in Cheyenne, will be ongoing. New sections will be added as the story unfolds. Clicking each date in this list of events will take you directly to that section.
1775: A WITNESS TO HISTORY
The Washington Elm was an historic American Elm tree in Cambridge, Massachusetts, located at the intersection of Mason and Garden Streets. Legend holds that General George Washington took command of the Continental Army under this tree on July 3, 1775.
At its prime, the tree was roughly 100 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of 18 feet and a branch spread of over 90 feet.
illustration: Public Domain
1875: PROTECTING A LEGACY
The Washington Elm was so revered that a fence was built to protect it.
A marker was placed to explain the tree’s history.
Illustration: Public Domain
1885: GATHERING SEEDS
People began gathering seeds and sprouts from the tree, attempting to grow descendants of the famed George Washington Elm, with some of them being cultivated in Maryland. Some of these nurtured saplings were later donated to Mount Vernon, Valley Forge, and the Annapolis Statehouse.
1920s: ALICE DORSEY CULTIVATES SEEDLINGS
Alice Dorsey and her husband James resided in Rowland Park, Maryland. Alice began growing Washington Elms in her yard from seedlings and root shoots taken from one of her uncle’s Washington Elm trees. She gifted them to places of historic value.
Alice Dorsey Biography and photo of the “Washington Elm Nursery”: Courtesy of Margaret Casterline Bowen, Maryland DAR State Historian
OCTOBER 26,1923: LOSS OF A LEGEND
After years of battling beetles and rot, the Cambridge tree was deemed a hazard and collapsed in 1932 during efforts to remove a dead branch. Records were taken of the tree’s rings by the Cambridge Parks Department, and the ring measurement determined the tree was 210-220 years old, thereby making it about 70 years old in 1775.
Photo: Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection
1932: GIFT TO WYOMING
Wyoming State DAR Regent Mary Kingsley Corbett received correspondence from Alice Dorsey that she would be receiving a sapling from the Washington Elm.
Included here are the transcriptions of three notes that Alice Dorsey received from the Wyoming State Regent concerning the gift.
Transcript: Courtesy of the Maryland State DAR Archiveas
SEPTEMBER 2, 1933: THE WYOMING SAPLING ARRIVES
The Wyoming State Society, NSDAR, presented the George Washington Elm to Wyoming Governor Leslie A. Miller at the Horticultural Field Station in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Photo: Courtesy of US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
2016: WYOMING ELM IDENTIFIED
The Wyoming State Regent received an inquiry from the Oklahoma State Society, NSDAR, to determine if Wyoming’s Washington Elm still survived.
The minutes of the 1933/34 Wyoming State Conference were located, and records showed that the Wyoming State Society, NSDAR, did receive an elm.
The Wyoming State Forestry was contacted, and it was determined there was an American Elm, approximately 80 years old, in front of the Wyoming State Capitol, without a marker.
2017: FUTURE PLANNING
The Wyoming State Society, NSDAR, requested approval from state and city officials to mark the elm tree. Assistance was also requested from the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens for a project to obtain and grow saplings from the Washington Elm, to be planted throughout the state, as well as the State Capitol, during the semi-quincentennial in 2026 – or for George Washington’s 300th birthday in 2032.
To help finance the preservation of the Washington Elm, the State Regent organized the sale of 40″ x 40″ silk blend scarfs, depicting the 11 chapters in that were chartered in Wyoming at that time. One of those scarves will be placed in a time capsule at the Wyoming State Capitol, to be opened during the State’s 200th anniversary in 2090!
2018: MARKER ON THE WYOMING STATE CAPITOL GROUNDS
The Wyoming State Society, NSDAR, marked the Washington Elm and announced during Continental Congress that the George Washington Elm was their state’s America 250 project . Restricted funds in the Wyoming State Society’s budget were used for the project.
2022: PRESERVATION PROJECT FOR THE 250TH
The Wyoming State Society, NSDAR, petitioned state and city officials, requesting that action be taken to begin preservation of the Washington Elm prior to our country’s 250th birthday.
JANUARY 2026: GRANT TO PRESERVE ELM
The Wyoming State Society, NSDAR, applied for and was awarded an America 250 grant from the State of Wyoming to obtain cuttings from the tree, which would be used to propagate new trees to distribute across Wyoming to continue the legacy and celebration of George Washington.
FEBRUARY 2026: ELM CUTTINGS TAKEN
Working with the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, the Wyoming State Foresty Division, the Cheyenne Department of Urban Forestry, and Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery, the first cuttings of Wyoming’s George Washington Elm were taken.
APRIL 2026: ELM TREE GRAFTING
Some of the seeds collected from the Washington Elm were stratified by placing them in a cold, moist environment for several weeks. This chilling period mimics winter conditions and helps overcome natural dormancy. Before stratification, the seeds were soaked for at least 24 hours to soften the outer seed coat, improve water absorption, and encourage germination. Scarification—lightly breaking or removing part of the seed coat—further reduces dormancy and increases the likelihood of sprouting.
Each Washington elm cutting taken in February measured roughly 8–10 inches. The cuttings were collected from the previous season’s new growth, just below a leaf node where rooting potential is highest. After collection, the cuttings were dipped in rooting hormone to stimulate root formation and then stored under refrigeration at the Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery for two months to maintain dormancy and preserve viability.
In April 2026, the elm cuttings (scions) were grafted onto compatible elm rootstock—young, established plants with stem diameters matching the scions. The grafting was performed by Scott Skogerboe, retired propagator from Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery. He carefully aligned the cambium layers of both scion and rootstock, secured the union with grafting tape, and sealed it with grafting paste to prevent desiccation. The completed grafts are now being held in a climate‑controlled greenhouse environment, where temperature and humidity can be managed to support healing. As the grafts begin to grow, the bands are loosened periodically to prevent constriction and ensure proper development.
JUNE 2026: EDUCATING WYOMING’S YOUTH
The Wyoming State Society, NSDAR, received approval from the Wyoming State Department of Education to deliver a specially commissioned book to all elementary schools in Wyoming. “Long Live Wyoming’s Washington Elm” is anticipated to be delivered to schools in September 2026. It will also be available at the Great American State Fair in Washington, DC, June 25-July 10.
An essay contest about the George Washington Elm has also been planned for the 2026-27 school year. The winner’s hometown will receive one of Wyoming’s George Washington Elms to be planted when it is sturdy enough to be transplanted – hopefully in time for George Washington’s 300th birthday in 2032!!
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Site last updated June 4 2026.
