How a Lowly Forgotten Tree Stump Became a Beloved Detroit, Michigan Mascot
Detroit has a thing with roadside monuments. Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, the city posted new welcome signs along freeways that were meant to be a reflection of the Hollywood Sign. The signage spells out the name of the city in green lettering. It was met with mixed results from the public.
There is another freeway-side eye-catcher in Detroit that gets people talking as well. It's a forgotten tree stump that gets dressed in Detroit-themed sports apparel, most prominently a #90 Detroit Lions jersey, a number once worn by Ndamukong Suh. Meet D. Stumpy.
👇🏼BELOW: The Evolution of D. Stumpy Over the Years + These Are the Potential Highway Numbers for the Gordie Howe International Bridge in Detroit👇🏼
The tree stump is in the median of the junction of two busy interstates, I-75 and I-96, near Detroit's Corktown neighborhood. The stump was, of course, once a fully grown tree. It was cut down sometime after 2011 and sometime between the fall of 2018 and the spring of 2019 it began to be decorated with the sports jerseys.
The stump has been both a wonderment for passing drivers and a smile for daily commuters as shared on this Reddit thread.
This is one of my favorite things in all of Detroit. I remember thinking every day driving by I looked like someone waving, then lo and behold someone dressed it up. Years later the tradition keeps him alive.
I wave to it every time I pass it. Never gets old. I've wondered about it too. They stopped dressing it up around the same time we started winning..
READ MORE: Why Does Interstate 75 Make Such a Tight 25 MPH Turn in Downtown Detroit?
It feels just a little bit like Detroit's own version of The Giving Tree. See the evolution over the years from a full tree to the stump of today.
The Evolution of D. Stumpy - the Detroit Roadside Sports Mascot
Gallery Credit: Eric Meier
These Are the Potential Highway Numbers for the Gordie Howe International Bridge in Detroit
Gallery Credit: Eric Meier
A Cruise Down the Forgotten Canals of Detroit, Michigan
Gallery Credit: Aaron Timlin/YouTube
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