Have You Heard of Michigan’s Historic Ice Tree? It’s Bigger Than Ever This Year!

Cities around Michigan are experiencing near-record-breaking cold temperatures and snowfall this season. While that can be not great for a lot of reasons... one thing it IS good for is Michigan's historic ice tree!

Did you know this towering tree of ice existed?

👇BELOW: THESE ARE MICHIGAN'S SNOWIEST CITIES SO FAR THIS WINTER👇

The Ice Tree is located in Gaylord, Mich., and also goes by the name "Cold Faithful". Gaylord has indeed been very cold - and snowy - this winter. In fact, Gaylord might just break its own snowfall record. As of Feb. 20, the city had seen 179.4 inches of snow. That's just a few inches away from the last snowiest season back in 2006-2007, where Gaylord got 185.6 inches.

According to Up North Live, the conditions this winter have lead to the Ice Tree being more massive than ever!

They'll keep adding water to, so it'll keep on growing through the winter season! So how did the Ice Tree come to be?

The Gaylord Michigan Tourism Bureau shares that the downtown landmark has been around since the 1950s. Some locals stacked up discarded Christmas trees and sprayed the pile with water, creating the first Ice Tree. It fit right in with Gaylord's charming Alpine Village! In 1957 there was a city-wide contest to name it and the winning entry was "Cold Faithful."

As love for the Ice Tree grew over the years and it attracted national attention, folks wanted to see it grow even bigger. So, as the Gaylord Tourism Bureau explains:

In 1965, our Ice Tree went through a major transition, both above and below ground. Dedicated community members created a metal frame that also had underground piping at the location of the newly constructed Courthouse. Improvements were continually made through the years, including enhanced underground hosing to prevent waterlines from freezing, ensuring the Ice Tree would continue growing for the entire season.

So each winter season, the scaffolding is sprayed with water until the ice builds up.

A sign stands in front of the Ice Tree, claiming its the largest in the world. Is that really the case? Well, as no one seems to be challenging the claim, the community is comfortable saying it is! If you want to see the Ice Tree in person, you'll fine it  in front of the Otsego County Building at  225 W. Main St in Gaylord.

Curious what it looks like as the weather starts to warm? Above is a photo of the Ice Tree back in April of 2014.