The International Forest of Friendship at Warnock Lake Park in Atchison KS was a bicentennial tribute to pioneers of aviation and space travel.
A sign at the entrance to the IFF reads as follows:
INTERNATIONAL FOREST OF FRIENDHIP
A Bicentennial tribute from members of the International Ninety-Nines and the citizens of Atchison KS.
The Birthplace of Amelia Earhart"
From Wikipedia: (
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"The International Forest of Friendship is an arboretum and memorial forest beside Lake Warnock in Atchison, Kansas. It is a memorial to the men and women involved in aviation and space exploration, and open to the public daily.
The forest was started in 1976 by the city of Atchison and the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of women pilots. Fay Gillis Wells is credited as founder and original co-chairman. The forest contains trees representing all 50 American states and the 35 countries where honorees reside. Each tree has its own flag, and many have unique associations, including trees from George Washington's Mount Vernon, the Bicentennial American Spruce, a tree from Amelia Earhart's grandfather's farm, a redbud from President Dwight D. Eisenhower's farm, and an American sycamore grown from a seed taken to the moon by Command Module pilot Stuart Roosa on Apollo 14. The moon tree is dedicated to seventeen American astronauts who lost their lives furthering space exploration.
A trail through the forest contains granite plaques with the names of over 1,200 aviation notables, including Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, Jeana Yeager, Rajiv Gandhi, the Wright Brothers, Sally Ride, Chuck Yeager, Beryl Markham, General Jimmy Doolittle, President George H. W. Bush, General Colin Powell, and Lt. Col. Eileen M. Collins."
And from the IFF website: (
visit link)
"International Forest of Friendship
The International Forest of Friendship is a living, growing memorial to the world history of aviation and aerospace. The Forest was a gift to America on her 200th birthday in 1976 from the City of Atchison, Kansas (the birthplace of Amelia Earhart); The Ninety-Nines (International Organization of Women Pilots), and the Kansas State University, Kansas Forest Service.
Joe Carrigan of Atchison, Kansas, and Fay Gillis Wells, a charter member of The Ninety-Nines and noted journalist, co-chaired the Forest from its inception until their deaths. Their sons, Pat Carrigan and Lin Wells, and families continue their dream of “world friendship through flight.”
The Forest is nestled on a gentle slope overlooking Lake Warnock, on the outskirts of Atchison. It is made up of trees from all fifty states and thirty-six territories and countries around the world where honorees reside. There are trees from George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate, the Bicentennial American Spruce, a tree from Amelia's grandfather's farm, and the Moon Tree grown from a seed taken to the moon by Command Pilot Stuart Roosa on Apollo 14. This latter tree honors the 17 astronauts who gave their lives in America's pioneering of space exploration up to 2001. In 2003 a monument near the tree was dedicated to the seven astronauts lost on the Shuttle Columbia.
Winding through the Forest are pathways honoring those who have, or still are, contributing to all facets of aviation and aerospace. The original path is called Memory Lane and leads to a secluded circle of benches in a grove of trees. All of the Forest's walkways are five feet wide (wheel chair friendly) and embedded in them are granite plaques engraved with the names of over 1,400 honorees. More information about the honorees can be found here.
Included in this illustrious list are markers memorializing such aviation notables as Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, Jeana Yeager, the Wright Brothers, Sally Ride, Chuck Yeager, General "Jimmy" Doolittle, and Col Eileen M. Collins, the first woman to pilot a shuttle into space. In 1976, Memory Lane was designated as the first National Recreation Trail in Kansas. In 1991, a beautiful gazebo was dedicated to Fay Wells, in honor of her leadership to the Forest. A pond and waterfall honor Joe Carrigan for his many contributions as founding co-chairman. Nearby are the Amelia Earhart Earthworks and the Lake Warnock picnic grounds.
Within the overall theme of "world friendship through flight," annual themes allow for the exploration of specific focus areas such as "discovery though flight," "flying and forests," "flying, forests and the future," and "security and solace through flight."
The Forest is open all year round, from sunrise to sunset.
Wheelchair-friendly pathways wind through the Forest of Friendship."