As you wander through North Campus, right by Michigan Avenue and Grand River Avenue, you will come across a stand of trees that is situated between two of MSU's dormitories: Mary Mayo and Campbell Halls. This Arboretum is one of the present-day forested areas shaped by a hands-on research and learning project initiated by Professor Beal in the late 19th century.
The area was formerly known as Deer Park because, believe it or not, it was once fenced off and turned into a deer park. While no longer present, the landscape has persisted as a woodland, with original oak plantings still found.
With over 100 years of continuous history, at what was then known as the State Agricultural College, this area started with the effort to educate. As an experimental arboretum, it served and continues to serve, the college as a site for early forestry training, investigative planting, and scientific observation.
As with all of Michigan State University's woodlands, this area reflects historic forestry experimentation and the evolving needs of a growing university. To this day, visitors are invited to walk, observe, and experience this wooded space at the heart of MSU's North Campus.
Photo courtesy of Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections
Photo courtesy of Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections
Photo courtesy of Derrick Turner, University Communications and Marketing