Interesting thread.

Trail trees, trail marker trees, crooked trees, prayer trees, thong trees, or culturally modified trees are hardwood trees throughout North America that Native Americans intentionally shaped with distinctive characteristics that convey that the tree was shaped by human activity rather than deformed by nature or disease.[1] A massive network of constructed pre-Columbian roads and trails have been well documented across the Americas, and in many places remnants can still be found of trails used by hunters and gatherers. One unique characteristic of the trail marker tree is a horizontal bend several feet off the ground, which makes it visible at greater distances, even in snow. Even today, modern hunters look for horizontal shapes while hunting deer, elk, and moose.[citation needed] Dr. Janssen noted in 1941:
Among the many crooked trees encountered, only a few are Indian trail markers. The casual observer often experiences difficulty in distinguishing between accidentally deformed trees and those ... purposely bent by the Indians. Deformities may occur in many ways. A large tree may fall upon a sapling, pinning it down for a sufficient length of time to establish a permanent bend. Lightning may split a trunk, causing a portion to fall or lean in such a way as to resemble an Indian marker. Wind, sleet snow or depredations by animals may cause accidental deformities in trees. However, such injuries leave scars which are apparent to the careful observer, and these may serve in distinguishing such trees from Indian trail markers.[2]

Large trees that exhibit deformed growth and distinctive forms bent in a vertical plane are sometimes labeled trail trees, marker trees, thong trees, or signal trees by enthusiasts. Historically, these unique trees were commonly known as Indian trail trees. Proponents of trail tree lore claim these unique forms are culturally modified trees used to mark trails or important places. Distinctively bent trees have long been noted throughout the Temperate Deciduous Forest of eastern North America.[3] The extent to which indigenous peoples used such trees as navigational aids, and whether such trees were formed by anthropogenic or natural means is controversial.[4][5]

These distinctively shaped trees have been photographed and documented in the Great Lakes Region by scientists and historians since the early 1800s.

That would make an interesting piece of furniture.

^^ THIS ^^

I believe there are trees that were used for that exact thing, but this is not one of them

EB nailed it as a surveyor, numerous early maps 1880's (for here) made had features sketched in the sides and references the crews saw in the field.
As an interest in First Nations encampment it was easy to see where they marked bison jumps and the stone lane markers lining them up. The bones were long gone collected for the fertilizer plants in Europe, but the projectile point were still there. Most of the rock piles were moved but some of them were not.
You have a better luck finding hens teeth on the prairies over remanding trees.

Even if they did(which according to experts is doubtful) bend trees as markers. ...that tree isn't nearly old enough.

Iv seen several trees like that over the years.

[quote=Pirogue

Even if they did(which according to experts is doubtful) bend trees as markers. ...that tree isn't nearly old enough.[/quote]
We use to do it as kids and teens. Some of those trees still stand in my parents woods

the will to live ,is in everything, plant, animal , and human ,

I have no idea how old the tree would be as I'm certainly no expert on trees. I just thought it was an interesting tree.

squatch rocking horse.

Exactly

Buwahahaha!! SMH!!

Amer Indians were all forced onto reservations by the late 1880's, 150 years or so ago.
Stop and think how large 150+ year old trees would be, how few such trees have survived all the construction, forest clearing, disease, weather, etc .
Now look at that trunk diameter and realize the tree in the OP's pic is VASTLY too young.

Common sense isn't just rare these days, it's obviously extinct.

Lumberjack. Nailed it. I see a bunch of trees just like that cutting firewood. And all ages too from saplings still being held down but reaching for the sun to dead and down. They are so common among lodgepole there is a company south of town makes furniture with them.

Found this one last year. It seems to happen frequently enough along streams around here, but I hadn’t seen one with such a smooth curve nor with a cute little waterfall.