THE SEQUOIAS
The California Big Trees must ever remain the supreme attraction of the park, although for many the mountain scenery and the fishing are added allurements. The Big Tree (Sequoia gigantea) is sometimes confused with the redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), the smaller species of Sequoia found only in the Coast Range of California. While gigantea approaches 40 feet in base diameter, sempervirens rarely exceeds 20 feet. The wood is similar in color and texture, but the foliage is distinct, and the bark of the Big Tree is much thicker and of a rich red color, instead of a dull brown. The most distinctive characteristic is that the Big Tree is reproduced only from the seed while the redwood when cut down sprouts from the stump.
There are many world-famous Big Trees in the Sequoia National Park, of which the General Sherman is the largest and best known. But there are scores or hundreds unnamed and almost equal to the General Sherman in size and majesty.
In addition to those noted for their size, the National Park Service has named and signed many of singular form, burned by fire, struck by lightning, or fallen in strange fashion. The trees which should be seen by all visitors are:
The General Sherman Tree.—The largest, and perhaps the oldest living thing. Discovered by James Wolverton, a hunter and trapper, on August 7, 1879, at which time he named the tree in honor of General Sherman, under whom he had served during the Civil War as a first lieutenant in the Ninth Indiana Cavalry.
The age of the tree is unknown. It is estimated by those who have made a study of the subject as between 3,000 and 4,000 years. During this time it has withstood the ravages of countless fires, and, though greatly damaged, it has continued to flourish, and today produces thousands of cones bearing fertile seed from which many seedlings have been grown.
The results of the fire damage are seen in the great wounds at the base of the tree. Through repeated fires the sap-pumping system has been damaged, and portions of the top have died; only 40 percent of live wood is in contact with the ground. The Sequoia, however, has such recuperative power that in time these fire scars will be completely healed.
The dimensions of this tree are as follows:
| Feet | |
| Height above mean base | 272.4 |
| Base circumference | 101.6 |
| Greatest base diameter | 36.5 |
| Mean base diameter | 32.7 |
| Diameter 60 feet above ground | 17.5 |
| Diameter 120 feet above ground | 17.0 |
| Height of largest branch | 130.0 |
| Diameter of largest branch | 6.8 |
For years there have been rival claims by various localities for the honor of possessing the largest tree in the world. To settle these claims the California State Chamber of Commerce and Fresno County Chamber of Commerce conducted, in 1931, a tree-measuring expedition in Sequoia and General Grant National Parks and vicinity.
GENERAL SHERMAN, THE KING OF THE SEQUOIAS
The result of the work of several engineers gave the following comparative volumes of the trunks of the four largest trees measured, exclusive of limbs:
| Board feet | |
| General Sherman Tree | 600,120 |
| General Grant Tree | 542,784 |
| Boole Tree | 496,728 |
| Hart Tree | 410,952 |
The General Sherman Tree was shown to contain 57,336 board feet more in volume than its nearest competitor and the King of the Sequoias retained his crown.
The Chimney Trees.—There are two well-known Chimney Trees, one being on the east side of Sherman Creek close to the trail from Sherman Tree to Alta Peak, which is now the best preserved. The other Chimney Tree is at the northeast end of Crescent Meadow and was badly burned several years ago through the carelessness of somebody who left a campfire burning. The Chimney Tree near Sherman Camp is a remarkable example of vitality, as it is thrusting out new branches despite the fact that its vitals are eaten away by fire.
The Black Chamber.—This is probably the most notable example of vitality on the part of a Sequoia in the forest. About one-thirtieth of the bark remains, and the whole interior has been eaten away by fire; nevertheless, the tree still lives and thrusts out new branches each year. It is located along the Crescent Meadow Road.
OTHER FAMOUS TREES
Washington.—Very impressive as to size.
Abe Lincoln.—Thirty-one feet in diameter, 259 feet high, a rugged, ancient-looking tree.
Auto Log.—A huge fallen giant upon which an auto may be driven with ease and safety.
William McKinley.—Twenty-eight feet in diameter, 291 feet high.
The President.—Twenty-nine feet in diameter, 250.2 feet high, wider at 120 than at 60 feet.
Keyhole.—Burned out "keyholes."
Room Tree.—Cavernous room within a standing tree.
Stricken Tree.—Rent by lightning, but still alive.
Window Tree.—Filigree appearance and many windows.
Chief Sequoyah.—Old with huge burls.
Black Arch.—Trail leads through charred, living giant.
Roosevelt Tree.—One of the most perfect in the forest.
Pershing Tree.—Named for Gen. John J. Pershing, has very richly colored bark.
Cloister.—Four trees in a square.
Pillars of Hercules.—Trail leads between two standing giants.
Bear's Bathtub.—A cavity between two trees, containing water, frequented by bears.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME "SEQUOIA"
The naming of the Big Trees of California "Sequoia" is a fitting tribute to that native American, a Cherokee Indian, who spelled his name Se-quo-yah. An uneducated, non-English-speaking Indian, he perfected a phonetic alphabet of 86 symbols with a character representing every sound in the tongue of his tribe. It was said that with this alphabet, sometimes characterized as one of the greatest ever invented, a Cherokee child might learn to read and write the Cherokee language in a few days, and that within a remarkably short time after the official acceptance of the alphabet by the tribe every one of its members was able to read and write.
The change brought about in the Cherokee Tribe by the introduction of this means of expressing thought on paper was equally remarkable. A printing press was established, type made of the various symbols, and the news of the day printed in two newspapers. Their laws were printed in Sequoyah's alphabet, and also the Gospels and many other books both useful and interesting to the Cherokee people, who thus made rapid advance in general knowledge and in civilization.
THE GROVES
The Sequoias are sometimes found in groups or groves. Such is the number of those near Giant Forest that it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that many other known groves of the Big Trees in California might be hidden in the Sequoia National Park and pass unnoticed. The principal groves easily reached in Giant Forest are the Parker Group, Congress Grove, Amphitheater Group, Founders' Group, and Huckleberry Meadow Grove. There are 32 distinct groves or areas of Big Trees in the park.
Descriptions of the Big Trees and of the other forest trees are found in two pamphlets, The Secret of the Big Trees and The Forests of Yosemite, Sequoia, and General Grant National Parks. These are for sale at the naturalist's office for 5 and 10 cents, respectively.