Slayton Arboretum
Slayton Arboretum officially began in 1922 when Mr. and Mrs. George A. Slayton donated 14 acres to Hillsdale College to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation. But the site’s use by the College students dates back to at least the 1860s, when the land was known as VanValkenburgh’s cow pasture. The pasture had a large, wooded knob, nicknamed Mt. Zion, which was used as a retreat for orations, marshmallow roasts, and scenic inspiration.
Dr. Bertram A. Barber, a professor in the Biology Department at Hillsdale College, envisioned creating a functional Arboretum on the site as an outdoor laboratory and field station for students and as a biological garden for the community. Additional land soon followed, and by 1924, Dr. Barber’s dream of an Arboretum was fulfilled through donated plants and the labor of Hillsdale students and volunteers.
In 1939, Slayton Arboretum was listed as one of Michigan's Points of Interest, and up to 700 people a day visited the site.
The 1970s, 1980s and 1990s saw extensive repairs and restoration to the Arboretum’s buildings and grounds, as well as the addition of several new gardens, new trails, labeling and mapping of trees and the installation of a red iron bridge to allow access across the Barber Drive wetland. An annual plant sale, launched with the help of the Hillsdale Evening Garden Club, generates funds used to make improvements in the Arboretum.
Read more about this topic: Hillsdale College