Cold Faithful

A brief history of Gaylord’s cool ice tree tradition

By Rachel Pasche | Jan. 6, 2024

Since the 1950s, Gaylord has been home to an annual winter tradition that is unlike any other: an enormous ice tree.

Visitors who stop by the northern Michigan village will find an icy structure in front of the county courthouse building, standing as nearly tall as the building itself (depending on the month) and looking like an evergreen completely covered in a thick layer of ice. While this wintry form was once solely made up of old Christmas trees and ice, it has since evolved, now consisting of a steel frame and a whole lot of water.

What started as a few members of a maintenance crew having a bit of fun has evolved into a tradition over half a century long, drawing locals and tourists alike to marvel at this icy spectacle.

So how did this beautiful, weird, frosty tree come to be? Let’s go back in time and find out.

How It Started

The first mention of the ice tree in historical records is in January of 1957.

The purported beginning of the tradition starts with Jim Jenkins, brother to former Mayor John Jenkins. Jim and other members of the maintenance crew were responsible for creating and maintaining the local ice rink. Discarded Christmas trees were “planted” around the edge of the rink in snow banks and hosed down with water, creating a windbreak for the users of the rink.

Some extra Christmas trees had been piled off to the side of the ice rink, and the maintenance crew regularly sprayed those down, too, until layers of ice built up on the pile and the resulting icy structure received multiple compliments from townsfolk. This first ice tree, records show, was 21 feet tall.

The experiment moved to the courthouse lawn for the following winter, where it’s remained in the years since. In 1965, the pile of trees was replaced with a metal frame with a pipe that pumped water out of the top. (We know what you’re thinking: A pipe spewing water in frigid temperatures is bound to have some problems. The design did pose some issues initially, but the town solved these by ensuring the water ran continuously and using increased water pressure.)

Phil Alexander, who initially started the Otsego County Historical Museum 25 years ago and served as a board member for 10 years, has researched the Gaylord Ice Tree over the years. He says much of the credit of keeping the tradition alive goes to Jim Lappan, who took it upon himself to make sure the ice tree made a reappearance year after year and gave the Historical Society a whole notebook full of drawings, clippings, and other information that provided insight into the history of this tradition.

One year in the beginning of the ice tree’s history, the town held a competition to name this icy sculpture. “Cold Faithful” was elected the winner, though unfortunately, the name hasn’t seemed to stick. Today, a contest is held annually to determine the date the ice tree will fully melt. (As anyone who lives in northern Michigan knows, predicting when winter ends and spring will fully begin is a tricky business!)

How It’s Going

The timing, shape, size, and weight of the tree are all dictated by the weather, the Otsego County Maintenance Department says. The scaffolding for the ice tree is usually built during the first week of below-freezing weather. The Maintenance Department can’t start spraying water over the structure until the weather remains below freezing, which can be anytime between November and early January, depending on the year.

How large the tree is able to get and the shape it takes is something determined by wind, temperature, and snowfall, which allows the tree to differ from year to year. The tree begins with a trickle of water running over the scaffolding and gradually increases in pressure and volume as the days pass and the ice tree starts to take shape.

While the size and weight of the tree aren’t recorded annually, some statistics taken throughout the years claim that the tree usually reaches between 190 and 200 tons at its seasonal peak. It has also been recorded to be as tall as 35 feet. One year, in the winter of 2013-2014, the tree’s shape had to be altered, as it had become so large it was threatening the courthouse it’s built in front of.

Christy Walcott, the director of marketing and communications for the Gaylord Tourism Bureau, says the town hasn’t, and doesn’t have plans to, check if their Ice Tree really is “the World’s Largest,” but maintains the title sheerly out of the fact that no other town in the world has come forth with a more impressive version.

While the ice tree doesn’t have any festivals or events surrounding it, a worker at the Otsego County Office says the tree usually serves as a “focal point” during the town’s annual winter festival, Alpenfrost, which returns on Feb. 17 in 2024.

Walcott says the 2024 ice tree structure is up, though warmer winter temps have kept it from taking on its fully frozen form. (Here's hoping the recent string of colder days will remedy that!)

The tree continues to charm and awe those who see it, serving as an annual wintry monument that gives the Alpine village of Gaylord a little extra charm during the long winter months.

Find the Gaylord Ice Tree in front of the Otsego County Building at 225 W Main St. in Gaylord.

Photo by Alex Childress