The Whalebone Tree

What is the Whalebone Tree, well it is an Elm tree in Ellensburg with a jawbone of a whale coming out of one side. How the whalebone got there is a bit of a mystery, a 1976 Ellensburg Daily Record article, states that some residents can remember the whalebone in the tree as far back as 1909, although it is evident that the bones were in place sometime before that. Apparently there were two whale bones, one on each side, but in 1929 one was cut out and given to the owner of the Ellensburg Lumber Company to hang in his office. Even then it took quite a bit of cutting to get the bone out of the tree. The town legend goes that an old retired sea captain moved into the house and brought the whale bones with him. It is thought that when whalers moved inland they would place whale bones in their yards to let other former whalers know that they could stop in. The house itself was built as a parsonage for the Church that had burnt during the 1889 fire. It seems that few believe that any of the pastors that stayed there brought the bones. As late as 1999, I can recall articles in the Daily Record about the tree and the mystery sea captain that left the bones. I haven't been able to get much information that is more recent, save for a photo taken sometime prior to Summer 2002. In fact I am not certain the tree and the bone are still entact, last spring I drove past was I thought was the right house and I don't remember seeing the tree. I would be interested to know if the tree is still there.

Dan