A Man of Salt and Trees: The Life of Joy Morton

by James Ballowe

A Man of Salt and Trees is the first full-length biography of Joy Morton (1855-1934), founder of The Morton Arboretum—an internationally acclaimed outdoor museum of woody plants—and Morton Salt—the brand that for over a century has been a household name in the United States. Joy Morton’s story begins in the pre–Civil War Nebraska Territory and concludes in the midst of the Great Depression in Chicago, the city in which he lived for over a half century. Using the voluminous correspondence of the Morton family, Ballowe tells the story of the Nebraska farm boy who grew up to be a small town banker who became a leading citizen of Chicago and Illinois and a major figure in the nation’s economic and technological development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Morton left his mark in several areas, from business and city planning to transportation and environmental preservation. He was a contributor to the development of Daniel H. Burnham and Edward Bennett’s 1909 Plan of Chicago, which continues to affect the way Chicagoans protect the Lakefront and approach transportation and park issues throughout the region. During the last three decades of his life, Morton served on the Chicago Plan Commission. His interest in transportation led him to become an investor and a director in railroad transportation and a champion of inland waterway traffic. He also single-handedly financed early advancements of the teletype, a technology that advanced the economic and cultural development of the 20th century.

Toward the end of his life, Morton funded the University of Chicago’s explorations of Mississippian Indian culture in central Illinois and traveled throughout the world visiting ancient as well as modern cultures and gardens. The Morton Arboretum stands today as a natural expression of a desire Joy Morton had from childhood, when he learned from his father, the founder of Arbor Day, and his mother, a dedicated gardener, that a necessary complement to a good life is the cultivation and preservation of the environment.

Genres: Biography

318 pages, Hardcover

First published March 23, 2009

About the author

Jim Ballowe is a distinguished professor of English emeritus at Bradley University. During his 36 years at Bradley, he served as department chair, dean of the graduate school and associate provost and dean of the College of Communications and Fine Arts and chaired the board of the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education and was president of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools.

Besides "Christmas in Illinois" (2010), he has published: "A Man of Salt and Trees" (2009) which is a history of the Morton Arboretum as well as a biography of Joy Morton; an anthology of the collected essays by the philosopher George Santayana; a book of his own poetry; an anthology of Welsh poetry; and numerous scholarly and popular essays. He narrated one of his essays, "The Herrin Massacre," on National Public Radios "All Things Considered." He has been awarded prizes for his essays and poetry and recently was awarded the Delta Prize by the Friends of the Morris Library at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in recognition of his work on Southern Illinois as a poet, writer and historian.

Currently, he is a member of the board of trustees of the Illinois State Museum and has previously served on the boards of the Illinois Humanities Council and the Illinois Arts Council."

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

For all of those folks that grew up in Lisle and wondered how the Morton Arboretum ended up there, this book will answer your questions. This is the autobiography of one of the great Chicago business titans, Joy Morton of Morton Salt. Even if you are not interested in the Arboretum, the book covers some fascinating history of Joy's life growing up in 1850s Nebraska. His family was one the first to move to the new Nebraska territory and was very politically active, so the biography has lots of interesting stories of the politics, history and lives of the people of early Nebraska. Some of the depictions of early Nebraska bring real perspective to how much has changed. Joy's family had farmed many acres in Nebraska City, but it wasn't corn, it was acres of produce including apples and pears. Not what you typically think of Nebraska agriculture. Also it was in Nebraska that Joy picked up is love for trees from his father, Sterling Morton who founded Arbor day.

All in all, this was a interesting read for an autobiography. Joy's family had a passion for communicating in letters and from these letters a very detailed documentation of Joy's life has been complied in this book. I would recommend this for anyone from Lisle that has a passion for the arboretum or interested in Chicago Business. If you love both like me, dig in.

[Ann Hein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most interesting book about a particular time in American history and a particular family: the Mortons whose name we have seen on boxes of salt for my lifetime. Sterling Morton brought his family to Nebraska around the time of the Civil War. They came in wagons, but it wasn't long before the trains came. Sterling Morton was a (not very good) politician, but is known for starting Arbor Day. (The Arbor Day Foundation lives on with a theme of mailing and planting trees.

This is the biography of Joy Morton, son of Sterling. Father and sons were involved in many businesses around the turn of the century. Joy had made his fortune by the time he was 40 and spent the rest of his live planning his philanthropy and legacy.

I was primarily interested because of living and visiting the Morton Arboretum in the Chicago suburbs (Glen Ellyn) which Joy Moron founded.

[Eddie Callaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful biography of the person responsible for creating Morton Arboretum, a place near and dear to my heart. As a businessman, Joy Morton excelled. But more importantly, as a philanthropist, he created a lot of everlasting wonders we can still enjoy.

The biography is well-researched and interesting to read. Only a couple drier moments, especially relating to specifics on Morton's business ventures (including Morton Salt).

[Maribeth Cervak · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book had a lot of interesting information about Mr. Morton, I found it to be a very slow-moving book. It frequently jumped back and forth between years. I had to put it down, read a different book, and then pick it up again to finish it.

[Lyn Myers]

too much back and forth correspondence to be an exciting read but lots of good background info - especially for an Arb employee

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting biography of the Morton Arboretum founder & the Morton family.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about about a place I have been many times and knew so little about.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting biography of Joy Morton, the founder of Morton Salt Co. and The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, IL. At times the book was a bit dry, and it got weighted down as it seemed to described every deal Morton ever made. For me the best part was when he founded the Arboretum. How he went about this was fascinating. Some of the factoids in the book were also very interesting: for instance, his father was the founder of Arbor Day. A strange note about the book: in the back there is a map showing where his various homes were in Chicago, but there isn't a layout map of The Arboretum, which, for me, would have been much more interesting. Anyway, a worthwhile read.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've become a history nut, especially when it involves Chicago or northern Illinois. I've also loved visiting the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL, for the past 10 years or so, so this biography about the man who founded the Arboretum on his own property strongly appealed to me. It's a smooth read that's very enjoyable; there are no extensive details to bog it down. Give it a read; it's fun to look back 100 years to see what shaped much of what I know today of where I live.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting man. He had lots of money, he and his children were highly educated, his salt business was and still is a success. He was involved in business interactions with Argo Plants. He was one of the elite; up there with Marshall Field, Daniel Turnham. Political but not political. He had a love for trees and flowers; hence establishing the arboretum. Fun to read and know where these places are. The flow of the book has its ups and downs, but overall pretty good.

[Tifanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you work at the Arboretum, frequent the Arboretum, or are interested in Chicago history this is definitely a book to read. Little dry at times, but really sets up how Joy Morton was an important part in the shaping of what Chicago is today. Also found it interesting to learn what prompted his love of trees and his visions from way back really shaped the Arboretum to be what it is today.