1926–2026: 100 Years of the Arb
For a century, the Cowling Arboretum has played an integral role in education, conservation, and recreation for Carleton and the Northfield community.
We invite you to join us in celebrating this milestone and the College’s role in developing the state’s first arboretum — a diverse landscape that is central to our identity and a beloved resource for all.
Save the Date!
Arboretum Centennial Celebration: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026
Join us for an afternoon of celebratory events at the Boardman Memorial, behind the Rec Center on Carleton’s campus.
More Centennial Events
Sat, Oct 24, 2026
- Arboretum Centennial Celebration 11:00 am
Then and Now
Proposed by botany professor Harvey Stork and established by College President Donald Cowling, the Arboretum has a rich history — from Dakota stewardship, through the beginnings of Northfield and Carleton, to today’s focus on restoration ecology in the Arb.
Read All About It!
In anticipation of Cowling Arboretum’s 100th Anniversary, Ingrid Meyer Case ’90 and Nat Case ’88 co-authored Into the Arb: A History of the Carleton College Arboretum.
Marking the centennial of the Cowling Arboretum, this book explores how that century saw the life of this land intersect with a changing college, a changing Minnesota, and a changing world. It traces a line from millennia of Dakota stewardship, through the beginnings of Northfield, Carleton, and the Arboretum, to today’s focus on restoration ecology. More than 250 maps, photographs, and illustrations show the evolution of the Arboretum and our ideas about it.
“Just in time for celebrations of the centennial of Carleton’s Cowling Arboretum, the authors of Into the Arb have made an impressive contribution to the essential Carleton bookshelf with a splendid history that is well researched, well written, beautifully illustrated, and chock-full of fascinating information and “honest storytelling” about a special place, the myriad uses to which its land has been put, and the stewardship of that land across time.”
—Eric Hillemann, Carleton College Archives
Research and writing of the book was supported in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.