The shoe tree out in the middle of the Nevada desert at a barren spot called Middlegate is quite an unusual place! Located right next to the highway, the tree's branches are heavily adorned with hundreds of shoes that have been flung up onto the branches by passing motorists. Many more shoes of all kinds lay strewn about the base of the tree. These either fell off or were simply left at the base of the tree after unsuccessful attempts to fling them up onto a branch.
Middlegate was once a waystation on the Central Overland Trail. It served as a rest stop for weary travelers on horseback, in stagecoaches, or in covered wagons. A nearby pond provided water, and the trees provided shade from the unrelenting desert sun. While covered wagons and stagecoaches no longer pass through Middlegate, modern cars and RVs pass through and sometimes stop for a bit to enjoy the shade and scenery -- and to perhaps fling a pair of shoes (or a bra) up into the shoe tree branches, too!
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