In 1946, Hazel Warden started The Campfire girls which included her daughter Sharon, Marilyn Land Walker (Charlotte Walker Ward's Mother), Margie Johnson, Joan Leonard, Jane Elrod, Peggy Moore, Norma Lue Smith, Betty Keeling, Lane Dix, Phyllis Morgan & Paula McCright. As a fundraiser and community service project, they sold dogwood trees. She thinks they probably sold for a dime. The girl that sold the most trees would be crowned the "Dogwood Queen." As you can imagine, every one of them wanted to earn the crown so there were A LOT of Dogwood Trees Sold. Sharon said that this was their first opportunity to dress in formal attire and was a very big event in their lives. Most of these girls lived in and around Central School, so that is why there are so many Beautiful Dogwoods in Neosho. These girls even helped plant many of them.

In one of the pictures, three of the ladies are pictured with one of the Dogwood trees they planted on Jefferson Street.

Next time you visit Big Spring Park go to the North End Past the Arbor, on the left side you will see a Red Bud tree with engraved bricks around it. They have the names of several of these ladies.

As told by Eldon Morgan & Sharon Warden Eidson (pictured).