The “Other” Shoe Tree

Driving on Highway 26 east of Mitchell Oregon on the way to John Day Oregon is this “Shoe Tree.” There is another such tree further south, but recent reports say that it’s been cut down. I’m not sure of the significance of this tree, or when shoes started appearing in it.

We came upon the tree late at night. All I saw were hundreds of reflections off the shoes in the headlights of the car. My first thought was that it was a collection of fireflys attracted to a certain tree for some reason. Despite the fact that Oregon doesn’t have fireflies. Instead, the little lights I saw accumulated into this.

Keep in mind that other then the car headlights, it was totally dark here. This is literally the middle of nowhere. If you know anything about this shoe tree, please let me know in the comments below!