Dick Vaughn points out a spot where lightning struck the old Pawnee Council Oak Tree in Goehner. The monument will be rededicated at a Saturday, June 16, ceremony.

Jeff Hajny

    It is always important for people to remember their history. If people will not take time to remember where they came from, they may lose sight of what they are doing in the present as well as what they can do in the future. This is the same case for larger groups of people, including clubs, towns, and especially nations. If nations cannot remember their history, they can also lose sight of what they are doing in the present as well as what they will do in the future.
     On Saturday, June 16, the Nebraska Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution will be celebrating a piece of national and state history by sponsoring the rededication of the Monument for the Pawnee Council Oak Tree.
     The Oak Tree has an interesting history of its own. The tree is thought to have started growing in the 1740s east of Milford near the Blue River. By the 1780s, the tree had grown enough for the area Pawnees to begin holding their councils there, and this was done until the early part of the 20th Century.
     In 1932, the members of the Crete Chapter of the DAR placed a bronze marker on a boulder by the tree and held a dedication ceremony in honor of the Pawnees. In 1974, the tree became dislodged due to a rainstorm. Pieces of it were cut and one of the pieces will be used for the rededication ceremony at the Arrowhead Campground outside of Goehner.
     "A lot of people don't think there are any trees in the prairie states. All along the rivers throughout the state, there are huge trees just like this oak," Dick Vaughn, owner of the Arrowhead Campground, said.
     The ceremony will mark the 75th anniversary of the dedication of the original plaque. The event will take place at Arrowhead Campground in Goehner on Saturday, June 16, at 10 am. Admission is free and all are invited to attend.
     The event will will include a salute to the the flag, prayer, a retelling of the story of the oak and the dedication of the plaque. The event will be followed by a picnic lunch at the Seward County Historical Society Museum along with the laying of a wreath on the grave of Susannah Loose Sloniker, an original Daughter of the American Revolution, at the North Seward Cemetery.
     "This is going to be a big event. Everyone who attends this will be witnessing history in the making," Vaughn said.