The first Christmas in 1877 for Nicodemus settlers, the first all-black town west of the Mississippi River, was a special celebration.

But the traditional evergreen Christmas trees were in short supply on the arid High Plains.  So townspeople improvised…with tumbleweeds, which were easy to find.

Descendents, friends and visitors of the Nicodemus National Historic Site in Graham County are keeping that holiday tradition alive.  The Historical Society hosts an annual Christmas tree trimming party in the Nicodemus Township Hall.

“Early settlers in Nicodemus did not decorate cedar or pine trees since there were few evergreen trees in the area. Instead, they would gather tumbleweeds and make decorations using items from around their homes, ” says Dave Schafer, National Parks Service Chief of Interpretation and Education.

Nicodemus resident and local historian Angela Bates has written a book about that first Christmas , “The First Christmas: Nicodemus – 1877,” a Nicodemus Annie adventure story.

See more tonight on Eagle Local News, ECTV Channel 14.