A band of leafy trees and pine bounding a rippling river will grace Moorhead’s most visible water tower by this time next year. It’s a simple, peaceful design – but it carries a subtle element only Moorhead insiders may recognize.
One of the trees in the design chosen after a month of public comment is not just any old deciduous specimen. It is the unmistakable outline of south Moorhead’s familiar “Crazy Tree.” Designer Michelle Churchill of Fargo included its profile in her finished design after an online plea for residents to suggest what reminds them of their home town … a survey that drew some 300 comments.
The Crazy Tree has stood at the southeast corner of 12th Avenue and 11th Street South for generations. Its gnarled trunk hugging the ground may have been the background of more graduation and wedding photos than any other local landmark.
The Churchill Group was selected to create the design – a far simpler graphic than the representational depictions selected for other water towers in Oakport, Woodlawn Park and a future site on the south side. According to the designer, that was intentional to avoid distracting high-speed traffic passing below on the highway. More than 40,000 cars pass the water tower daily.
According to governmental affairs director Lisa Bode, the water tower art will cost about $43,000, including the design fee of $10,000 and cost of application to the tower after it has been rehabilitated. It’s being funded by the city and Moorhead Public Service.

– Nancy Edmonds Hanson