Calaveras Big Trees

Images of America: California

by Carol A. Kramer, Calaveras Big Trees Association

Augustus T. Dowd could scarcely believe his eyes when he stumbled upon one of nature's majestic wonders in 1852. Hunting down a wounded bear in the hills above the mining camp of Murphys, Dowd instead found a tree of mammoth proportions. After initial skepticism about the size of these trees, news of Dowd's discovery quickly spread. Local businessmen soon acquired the grove of 100 mammoth trees, or giant sequoia, and built accommodations for travelers. Thus began one of California's earliest tourist attractions in 1853. Dedicated as a California State Park in 1931, Calaveras Big Trees State Park hosts 250,000 annual visitors who come from around the world to marvel at these wondrous giants in their magnificent natural surroundings.

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2010

Reviews

[Chason · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s truly remarkable that these giant sequoias groves remained largely unscathed outside of the Discovery Tree & the Mother of the Forest, both destroyed by greedy men looking to capitalize on these natural wonders. Ironically, the destruction of those two trees and a few others led to widespread public appreciation for the giant sequoias and to widespread public calls for their preservation. Calaveras Big Trees is where it all began with the “discovery” of the largest trees on Earth. The state park we know today wasn’t fully under the protection of the state of California until the 1950s, a century after Augustus T. Dowd stumbled on the North Grove. The history of the park encapsulates the public-private ownership battles of the sequoia groves generally. Thankfully the story of Calaveras Big Trees ending happily but nearly didn’t. It’s thanks to conservationists, namely the Rockefellers - who also had a big hand in saving numerous old growth coast redwood groves - along with Save the Redwoods League and individuals who felt these ancient trees deserved protection. This book tells that story, largely through fascinating photographs that span the history of the two Calaveras groves. The photos I enjoyed the most are of Chip of the Old Block, the fallen Father of the Forest, and the Discovery Stump because they remain largely unchanged over the 150+ years the book covers, a testament to how enduring the giant sequoia trees are, even after they fall. This is also a fairly quick read but provides a lot of information in its 128 pages.

[kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

please leave me alone while i count books i read for research toward my reading goal