Our California Trip - page 7
General Grant Tree,
Our Nation's Christmas Tree,
a Sequoia tree, the 3rd largest tree in the world;
Sequoia & King's Canyon National Parks, California
The General Grant Tree is so wide it would take about 20 people holding hands to make a complete circle around the base. Giant Sequoia trees are redwoods. Their bark gives them an excellent fire-resistant quality.
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General Grant Tree signs,
Sequoia & King's Canyon National Parks, California
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ABOVE: The “Happy Family” of giant sequoias in Sequoia & King's Canyon National Parks, California
LEFT: Lower part of the Robert E. Lee Tree, another giant Sequoia in the Park
The Robert E. Lee Tree, was named in 1875, by Confederate Lt. Richard Field, for General Robert E. Lee. This tree, over 22 feet in diameter and 254 feet high, has survived many fires as shown by the numerous scars at its base. These injuries, all over 100 years old, caused the top to die back as water and food supplies were reduced. The fibrous, fire-resistant bark, 2 feet or more in thickness on some trees, helps protect them from more severe damage during such fires.
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The largest tree in the picture BELOW is the Robert E. Lee Tree. Laying behind it is a large sequoia that fell sometime in the distant past. It is called the "Fallen Monarch.” The root end (LEFT), is over 12 feet high. You can’t see all of it, as part of it is buried. The top end is almost 12 feet high! ABOVE, Don is standing by the top to show the size. In the late 1800's a few people lived in this tree. It was also used as a bar and hotel, and at one time it was used to stable 32 Cavalry horses!
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ABOVE: Barbara joins the "Happy Family" Giant Sequoia trees!
(SMILE)
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BELOW: Base of the California Tree.
In August 1967, a lightning-started fire burned out the top 25 feet of the “California Tree.” Dead wood still hangs in the tree.
The fire was put out by climbing a nearby fir tree, swinging across to the sequoia, and climbing it to the top. A fire hose was then pulled up. Had it not been extinguished, the fire could have burned for weeks inside the tree. You can see significant fire damage around the base, but the California Tree is still a favorite photographic subject.
In the early days many of the giant sequoias were named for States of the Union. Few names survive because most were never properly recorded. Today the practice of naming trees has been discontinued. A few remain, such as the Oregon, California, Vermont (fallen, now a giant log) and Tennessee Trees.
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( The Information on this page for the most part came from the National Park Service webpage for Sequoia & King's Canyon National Parks. )
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This page was created 1 December 2005 © Barbara Logan
URL is http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~soakbear/ca-trip-2005/calif-2005-g.htm
