Hickory Trees

I wanted to share a photo of a special tree that was valued by native Americans and our pioneer ancestors.  This tree is the Hickory and it’s native to Arkansas. The leaves turn yellow brown in the fall and are tear shaped.  They’re ten types but they can be divided into two groups—shaggy bark and smooth bark.  I have lots of Hickory trees growing on my land at the base of Crow Mountain.  Look for an Oak and you’ll spot a Hickory.

The Hickory tree is tough and strong.  The combination made it the favored wood for wagon wheels.  My Dad whittled ax handles and single/double trees from Hickory.  Baseball bats were made from hickory.  It is favored for smoking meats.  It was used and still is in flooring. Even one of our presidents was called “Old Hickory” because he was tough.  The Native Americans and our ancestors ate the hickory nut meats, but the Indians also made a butter from them.  They pounded the nuts (shells, too) in a mortar with a pestle then covered them with water.  A fat would come to the top.  They skimmed this off and used it like we use butter.