The Old Shoe Tree of Nevada, the iconic tree with hundreds of pairs of shoes hung on it has been cut down by vandals. What a tragic end to an amazing landmark that had so many stories to tell. The ride down the Loneliest Road in America – Highway 50 will never be the same again.

The Old Shoe Tree was one of the most popular roadside attractions not only in Nevada, but all of America. Located near Middlegate on Highway 50, The Old Shoe Tree was more than just a tree decorated with unwanted shoes. Many local business relied on it as it attracted travellers to the area everyone would otherwise pass through. And now it is gone.

Resembling an oddly decorate Christmas tree, in an act of unspeakable selfishness, The Old Shoe Tree was cut down by vandals on New Year’s Eve, just before Nevada whopped into 2011.

The Churchill County Sheriff’s Department has launched an investigation, but even if the culprits are nailed down, it will not bring The Old Shoe Tree back.

History of The Old Shoe Tree

Nobody is really sure when and how the act of throwing shoes on a large silk tree started, but the legend has it that the first pair of shoes was thrown on The Old Shoe Tree in the early 90′s during an argument between a newlywed bride and groom.

Following their wedding, the couple was passing through the Nevada desert on their way to California when an argument sparked between them. Unable to reason with his new wife, the groom pulled over by a large cotton tree and dropped his wife there to cool down. He drove off to have a beer at the Middlegate Station Bar but when he came back, he found the bride still furious with anger.

In a bid to shut her up, the groom threw her shoes into the tree and took off to have another cold one down his throat. Upon his second return, he already found his wife calmed down and capable of reasoning so the two had patched things up and were about to get the shoes off the tree so they could hit the road again, but the shoes were tangled up so tightly, it proved to be a major headache so the couple left them there and drove away.

Overtime, the cotton tree attracted more people who sought refuge from Nevada’s desert sun and as they stood there cooling off, they noticed the shoes and added their own. It became somewhat of a rite as more shoes were being added into the tree until the tree got transformed into a major roadside attraction.

Sadly, due to wrongdoing of some selfish individual(s), The Old Shoe Tree is no more. It has been cut down and it will dry off and get eaten by fungus and bugs and before we know it, there will be no trace of it. Such a senseless end to an amazing tree. I hope you’re happy with what you did there, vandals…

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