What all has this tree seen?

I was in Jefferson City the morning of Aug. 10 to attend the celebration in recognition of the founding of Missouri in 1821 as the 24th state to join the United States of America.

Walking the grounds around the State Capitol, I noticed this tree growing next to a sidewalk. It is a native sweet-gum tree. Although hard to tell the age of this tree from my photo, I guess it to be around 90 years old.

The tree's visible roots are called surface roots. Usually surface roots grow a few inches below ground. As trees grow old these surface roots often grow their way above ground. This old tree has done a magnificent job of growing its surface roots above the surface. Soil compaction or rocks close to the surface could have encouraged the effect.