At one time, the spindly acacia tree known as the Tree of Ténéré was the lone natural landmark amidst miles of barren Niger desert. but after it was destroyed in what may have been a drunken accident, it was replaced with a permanent metal doppelganger.
Named after the region of the Sahara Desert in which it was found, the Ténéré was a long standing landmark and waypoint for traveling caravans. Born somewhere around 300 years ago, when the desert was a bit more hospitable, the tree had become a sacred object among the nomadic Tuareg people that would pass by it on their journeys, never using it for firewood, or allowing their camels to graze on it. As more desert explorers came across the shockingly hardy plant, it became quite well known and was even included as a landmark on European military maps of the otherwise desolate expanse during the 1930s.
When a nearby well was dug finally dug, the secret to the miraculous tree's survival was finally discovered. While the surface of the desert was a wasteland, the Ténéré tree's roots reached over a hundred feet underground into the water table.
But not even it's incredible roots could save it from its eventual demise. For most of its modern life, the tree was the only one around for 250 miles in any direction, yet despite this, in 1973 it was run over by a truck. According to legend, the driver, was drunk, but this should still make anyone who has run into a parked car feel a bit better.
After it's death, the Ténéré Tree was moved to the Niger National Museum, and a bare metal sculpture was put in its place. The abstract replacement for the tree still stands today, looking a lot more like something that would grow out of the desert than the original ever did.