The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-08-18
The Giant Grove of MaripOsa.

Clark's Station, MariposO county, is
the point at which staging ends and
horseback riding begins on the trip to
Yosemite Valley by the MaripOsa route.
1t is also the point from which the Mari
pOsa Big Tree Cove is visited, the dis
tance being but five miles. Clark's is
one of the oldest stations 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 good
one, and the ride through the balmY
forest of magnificent pine-many of
which are four to six feet in diameter
and 100 feet in heights alone worth
the trip up here, even if there was no
other or larger trees to be seen. The
grove contains 600 trees, about dozen
of which are 80 to 275 feet in height,
and have circumference of 75 to nearly
100 feet. "Grizzly Giant" is perhaps
the largest in circumference, but the
skyward height to which he once lifted
his hOary head has been blasted. Moth
ing can produce more wonder and ven
Grafton than this magnificent old vet
eTan of the forest who has tossed his
immense limbs in these mountains and
sung his eolian songs in every storm
for ut least l,5O0 years. This is the
shortest calculation which has been
made of the age of the largest trees,
some estimates placing 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 at
tain height of more than thirty feet i'll
the longest lifetime of man. If not
pruned, they will flourish thousand
years hence, when even the remem-
brance of us will have been lost in the
decaying dust of generations yet 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, produce sadness.
was glad to learn from Mr.. Clark,
however, that most of this damage Oc-
cured before white settlement. The In
dians wilfully made fires to sweep off
the brush, with the object of making
hunting better, and their trails easier
1t would not have ruffled the stolidity of
of the Indian nature if all the big tree
groves of the State had been swept of,
so long as his hungry man was more
easily provided for. One cannot 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 SUMS greeting, while yet the loftiest
pine-tOps are in comparative shade.
/ Mr.. Clark discovered the Mariposa
\ Grove in 1857, and its existence was in
that year first made public. Some other
persons claim that they passed through
the grove in 1852, but they never previ-
ously 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 takes strong and unselfish
interest in seeing the States ownership
| to Yosemite and the Mariposa Grove
/ kept free from selfish claims and vandal
| injuries. He is the States official guar
/ dian of both, and is now serving in this
capacity, though the pittance which he
was tr receive from the State has not
been paid since lS67.-CoTospORdeHce S.
/ +. Bulletin.