Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-08-11
BIG TREES.
The Giant Grove of Mariposa, Cal.

|
Correspondence OF the San Francisco Daily Bull
| letin.
Clark's Station, Mariposa county,
is the point where staging ends and
horseback riding begins on the trip
to Yosemite Valley by the Maripo-
81 route. 1t is also the point from
which the Mariposa big tree grove
is visited, the distance being but
five miles. Clark's is one Of the
oldest on any of the routes. Mr..
Clark settled here in 1857, and
lived entirely alone for ten years,
his nearest neighbor being sixteen
miles off. The trail to the big trees
| is a good one, and the ride through
the balmy forest of magnificent
pinc-many Of which are four to
six feet in diameter and $50 feet in
heights alone worth the trip up
here, even if there were no other or
larger trees to be seen. The grove
contains 600 trees, about dozen of
which are 25O to 275 feet in height;
and have circumference of IS to
nearly 100 feet. "Grizzly Giant" is
perhaps the largest in circumfer-
ence, but the skyward height to
which he once lifted his hoary head
has been blasted. Nothing can pro-
duce more wonder and veneration
than this magnificent old veteran of
the forest who has tossed his i'm
mense limbs in these mountains
and sung his aolian songs in every
storm for at least 800 years. This
is tbs shortest calculation which
has heen made of the age Of the
largest trees, some estimates plac-
it at $500 years. One of the limbs
of the "Grizzly Giant was as large
as the majority of pine trees. The
smallest tree would not attain a
height of more than thirty feet in
the longest lifetime of man. If not
pruned they will flourish a thousand
years hence, when even the remem-
brance of us will have been lost in
the decaying dust of tens of genera
tons vet to come. If these feelings
produce awe, the fact that nearly
every tree in the grove has been
damaged-many of them fatally
by the ravages Of fire, produces sad
ness. / was glad to learn from Mr..
Clark, however, that most Of this
damage occurred before white set
Element. The Indians willfully
made fires to sweep off the brush,
| and with the object of making hunt
inc better, and their trails easier.
1t would not have ruffled the sto-
liditv of the Indian nature if all the
big tree groves Of the State had
been swept off, so long as his hun
CRY man was more easily provided
for. One mot look up to the top
Of the big trees without throwing
the head far back or lying down.
They soar aloft with an arrow-like
straightness, and receive the morn
ing suns greeting, while yet the
lottiest pine tops are in comparative
shade. Mr.. Clark discovered the
Mariposa Grove in 1857, and its eX
istance was in that year first made
public. Some other persons claim
that they passed through the grove
in 1852, but they never previously
made the fact public if they did.
Mr.. Clark erected a cabin in 1868,
and laid claim to the possession of
the grove; not, to his credit be it
said, with the object Of owning it,
but to keep others out who had less
claim, and who rushed to establish
personal ownership. Mr.. Clark
Clark takes strong and unseltish
interest in seeing the States owner
ship to Yosemite and the Marlposa
Grove kept free from selfish claims
and vandal injuries. lie is the
States official guardian of both, and
is now serving in this capacity,
though the pittance which he was
to receive from the State has not
hoon Maid since 1867