In the spirit of Earth Day and Arbor Day, both in the month of April, this week’s Throwback Thursday features a Cottonwood tree. According to records, it was South Dakota’s oldest tree in September 1953. Located in Sully County, near Agar, John Neu and Burt Seeker demonstrated how large the tree was. Native to North America, Cottonwood trees, of the poplar family, can potentially grow at a rate of 6 feet in height per year, making them the fastest growing native trees on the continent.