Pine Tree Road gets its name from a famous tree in Delhi Township called, “The Lone Pine.” When Eliza (Clark) Owen was just a young girl, she carried a pine seedling from the William Cook farm south of Holt. Her father, Benjamin Clark, helped her plant the tree during the 1850s and it stood for approximately 70 years before being struck by lightning in 1921. Although the Forestry Department at the Michigan Agricultural College attempted to save the tree, it died within a few years. The community commemorated the original tree: The Holt Sportsman’s Club used its wood to make a baseball bat, and the earliest Holt High School yearbooks were called “The Lone Pine.” An offspring tree was planted in its place during the 1920s. And in 1931, Hugo F. Voss painted the old pine. This painting still hangs in the Delhi Township Board Room. Today, the second generation pine is still standing at the corner of Keller and Pine Tree Road. It is approximately 100 years old.
