International Forest of Friendship facts for kids
The International Forest of Friendship is a special place in Atchison, Kansas. It's like a park (called an arboretum) and a memorial forest all in one, located right next to Lake Warnock. This forest honors people who have done amazing things in flying and space travel. It's open every day for everyone to visit.
How the Forest Began
This unique forest started in 1976. The city of Atchison worked with a group called the Ninety-Nines. This group is an international organization made up of women pilots. A woman named Fay Gillis Wells helped start the forest and was one of its first leaders.
Trees from Around the World
The forest has many different trees. There's at least one tree representing each of the 50 American states. It also has trees from 35 other countries where the honored people live. Each tree has its own flag. Many of these trees have cool stories:
- Some trees come from George Washington's home, Mount Vernon.
- There's a special Bicentennial American Spruce tree.
- One tree grew from a seed from the farm of Amelia Earhart's grandfather. Amelia Earhart was a famous pilot.
- A redbud tree came from President Dwight D. Eisenhower's farm.
- One amazing tree is an American sycamore that grew from a seed that went to the Moon! An astronaut named Stuart Roosa took the seed on the Apollo 14 mission. This "moon tree" honors 17 American astronauts who sadly lost their lives exploring space.
Honoring Aviation Heroes
As you walk through the forest, you'll find a path with granite plaques. These plaques have the names of over 1,200 important people in aviation and space. Some of the famous names include:
- Amelia Earhart
- Charles Lindbergh
- Jeana Yeager
- The Wright brothers (who invented the airplane)
- Sally Ride (the first American woman in space)
- Chuck Yeager (a famous test pilot)
- Beryl Markham
- General Jimmy Doolittle
- President George H. W. Bush
- General Colin Powell
- Lt. Col. Eileen Collins (the first woman to command a Space Shuttle mission)
- Capt. Lynn Rippelmeyer
