Location: Tree is located in the heart of Vieux Québec City, Canada.
Author: Chris & Heather Boothman (A Brit & A Southerner)
Description: Today’s image of the week features a unique yet iconic landmark in Québec City. When you are walking around the ‘old’ downtown area of the city, just inside the fortified walls is a tree with a cannonball at the base.
During our recent trip to Québec City, we walked the streets of Vieux Québec and stumbled across this random tree. If you are interested in seeing more of our pictures from our trip there, check out our gallery here.
So what is the story behind the infamous cannonball tree?
There are two different stories relating to this cannonball so I will leave it up to you to decide which is more plausible. The first dates back to the Battle of Québec in the mid 18th Century and the story suggests the cannonball landed here at the base of the tree and over the years became embedded as the tree continued to grow. Feasible? Possibly!
If you are still convinced by this story, perhaps this alternative will convince you. The cannonball was intentionally placed here in order to protect the tree from the wheels of the horse-drawn carriages.
I personally favor the first option and the decision was made to leave the cannonball in place given that the tree continued to grow and it provides an iconic landmark for Québec City in the present day.
Let us know which theory you prefer or perhaps you have your own idea behind this iconic landmark!