TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO 1891 ARBOR DAY PROCLAMATION

n.p.: Territorial Governor of New Mexico, 1891. First Edition. Soft cover. Very Good+. 11 ½" x 18" (exactly 17 15/16") letter press poster on good grade of paper. Printing is a light maroon. A gorgeous broadside proclamation by Territorial Governor L. Bradford Prince, the proclamation issued on March 2, 1891 for a March 13 observance. ". set apart this year as Arbor Day, to be observed by the people in the planting of trees, for the benefit and adornment of public and private grounds, roads, streets and avenues ." Further, "I repeat the suggestion made a year ago, that trees be planted along all acequias, as this, in a short time, will entirely change the appearance of our valleys, and also afford grateful shade and refreshment to man and beast." Vg+ condition. One horizontal fold across the middle. Rather minor pressure lines here and there. According to A Brief History of Urban Trees in New Mexico (Karen Van Citters, U. S. Forest Service paper 1/15/2018) 1891 was the first Arbor Day in New Mexico. See also N. M. Statute section 12 - 5 - 1 for the establishment and observance of Arbor Day and referencing 1891. A recent edition of The Taos News (11/11/20) reporting on plans for next Spring's Arbor Day references the first Arbor Day in New Mexico: "Winners will be chosen by the Tree Board on March 13, which is officially Arbor Day in New Mexico. New Mexico's Arbor Day celebration was established in 1891 - 21 years before it became a state." Rare.