Timber! Michigan Just Tore Down the Iconic Kalkaska Shoe Tree

It's a landmark that drivers in Northern Michigan have spotted for years, an overloaded shoe tree along US 131 between Kalkaska and Mancelona.

On April 25, 2024, the shoe tree met chainsaws and the chainsaws won.

Many community Facebook groups shared the news and there was a decidedly divided reaction. Some saw it as a shocking and needless act removing a local landmark. Others say it was an eyesore and litter that ruined the tree.

READ MORE: Michigan Just Quietly Killed an Iconic State Highway

Those were the exact sentiments on the Overheard in Mancelona in Antrim County group:

Who's great idea was that? Total bull. That was a land mark. I'd like to know who took it down and why.

Horrible. That's local history

kinda sad actually. Been there for as long as I can remember.

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I feel it was necessary it was a giant pile of litter all that waste on a living tree and around it couldn't have been beneficial for the tree at all

It needed to come down. It was an eye sore

Good riddance it was a pile of garbage I can only imagine how embarrassing it was for that poor tree

The Shoe Tree dates back at least 30 years as a Northern Michigan roadside attraction and there are other examples of shoe trees around America but few as sneaker-laden as the one in Kalkaska.

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Video of the shoe tree was posted to Facebook just 2 days before it was removed. It's likely the last video of the Kalkaska Shoe Tree.

There are many other odd and notable roadside attractions around Michigan. Check these out.