The History of Arbor Day
National Arbor Day is an annual event in Barbados, held on September 22nd, to encourage persons to plant trees. On January 04, 1872, Sterling Morton first proposed a tree planting holiday to be called Arbor Day at a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture.
The date was set for April 10, 1872. The Young State Gov. Robert W. Fumas officially proclaimed Arbor Day on March 12, 1874, while the day itself was observed on April 10, 1874. In 1885, Arbor Day was proclaimed a legal holiday in Nebraska.
Prizes were offered to counties and individuals for planting (properly) the largest number of trees on that day. Consequently, it was estimated that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day.
