A willow tree was set out from a little sprout near a house in Waterloo (now Shopiere).

The evidence

• “Adam Bell came from Montgomery Co., N. Y.,to Waterloo (now called Shopiere) Jan. 21, 18491; worked at his trade of carpenter most of his life ; now has forty acres of land, a pleasant home and is in comfortable circumstances ; near his house is an immense specimen of the willow-tree, which he set out in 1850 from a little sprout not bigger than a straw ; it has grown to be nine feet nine inches in circumference two feet from the ground, extends north and south fifty-two feet, east and west forty-six and a half feet ; height, fortyfive feet. A singular coiacidence in the life of William D.”

  1879-history-of-rock-county/23-bios-turtle.md, PDF p. 796 / book p. 800

  Butterfield, C. W., et al. The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871585.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources