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Each symbol on the heritage tree represents life in New Ulm
Top:
Witness Tree
The rich heritage of New Ulm begins in 1854 at the venerable oak tree on the corner of 3rd and South German. Surveyors used this oak as a reference point to plot out the town in the picturesque Minnesota River Valley.
Left Side:
Doughboy
The solider Doughboy statue - a heritage piece from World War I in the City Cemetery - symbolizes New Ulm’s heritage of service and memorializes those citizens who put their life on the line in times of national peril.
Franklin School
Calls to mind that to preserve its heritage healthy communities join together to nurture competent, caring, and responsible youth - a primary aim of public, private, and parochial New Ulm schools.
Old Fire Wagon
The old fire truck represents a special heritage brought from Ulm, Germany, where Magirus invented the first aerial ladder fire truck, making the volunter firemen first responders, with police, the community’s mainline security.
Music and Dancing
Hands clapping and toes tapping in musical mirth and merriment remain strong marks of the community heritage and culture. Festivals in every season draw visitors and tourists to its tree-lined streets.
Riverboat
The days of riverboat travel that brought the towns first settlers ended abruptly in the 1870's. But the winding Minnesota River met south side of town by the swift-flowing Cottonwood River still marks the natural boundaries of the City between the bluffs. Only rivers made settlement possible until late in the 19th century.
Railroad
In the 1870's the railroad connected New Ulm to the commercial world, bringing new settlers and immigrants to its station to make the prairie bloom - an early heritage that is now enhanced by modern unit trains and highways.
Right Side:
Old Farm Barn
The Homestead Act of 1862 opened the Midwest prairie for farming where Central European immigrants cleared land, grew grain for milling, and brought food and dairy products for merchandising and thereby gave New Ulm a solid heritage in agriculture.
Popcorn Wagon
Nothing elicits memories of a kid more than the local popcorn wagon. Its presence echoes a common statement about the city’s homes and heritage - New Ulm is a good place to bring up children.
Beer Wagon and Grain Shock
Beer and grain indicate two heritage staples that brought New Ulm economic fame. Grain shocks that dotted farmers’ fields fed the flourmills and the breweries, two food industries that delight the palate.
New Ulm Battery
Boasting New Ulm’s heritage of maintaining the Nation’s oldest remaining civic war battery, Burg’s Battery performs ceremonial duties at parades, at festivals and musical events, locally and nationally, with municipal support.
Flandrau Park
Swimmers at the poolside bathhouse in Flandrau State Park that surrounds the city’s southwestern edge represent a heritage of abundant green space set aside for use as active parks for sports and passive parks for family fun.
Turner Hall
The Turner’s Society, leaders among the town’s founders, practiced and ancient maxim of “a sound mind in a sound body” by promoting gymnastics and making Turner Hall a heritage center for the community and patriotic activities.
(text taken from the informational Heritage Tree Pamphlet)
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