A large elm tree that stood for more than a century in a parking lot just north of the Calgary Saddledome has been cut down.
The tree, affectionately known as the Stampede Elm, had stood in the location, located just south of 12th Avenue and east of Olympic Way S.E., for more than 125 years.
However, the city recently announced plans to remove it to make way for construction of Calgary’s new events centre and on Monday crews moved in to cut it down.
All that remained by Monday afternoon was some piles of logs and a fence surrounding the area in the middle of the parking lot where the iconic tree once stood.
The removal of the tree is one of the early signs of construction on Calgary’s new events centre, which will include a new home for the Calgary Flames.
While the much-beloved tree may be gone, the city is taking steps to preserve its memory and its genetics for future generations.
Approximately 150 seeds have been collected to be planted in a city nursery and branches were also cut from the tree to be cultivated into new trees.
The University of Calgary has also taken steps to preserve the memory of the tree by producing digital images of the historic elm.