Results: What Exactly Is The Reason For 'Shoe Trees'?

They can be found across North America in both urban and rural areas, and the trend has spread as far away as England and other parts of Europe. So-called shoe trees have been around for at least a hundred years — and there are almost that many theories about how they came into existence. Some believe the habit of tossing pairs of shoes into trees, or in some cases on overhead wires, started with the military when soldiers leaving active service threw their boots over power lines near their barracks to mark the end of their service. Some feel shoes were put in a tree so that if someone needed them, you could just take them, as many could not afford shoes. Others say the practice is a form of bullying: a bully steals a pair of shoes from his victim and puts them in a place where they can’t be easily retrieved. Or that the trees are an indicator of a place to buy drugs and a marker of a gang’s turf. In England and Europe, they are viewed as a sort of fertility ritual or to signify someone has died. And some believe they are simply a practical joke played on drunks — take their shoes while they’re out of it and toss ’em in a tree. If you have ever seen a shoe tree, please comment what you think it signifies. What exactly do you think shoe trees are signifying?