The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-10-01
CalrornIa's Famous Trees.

EIastus BROOKS writes as follows of /
the big trees of California The hg
trees, so famous IN this country aud the .
world over. where hey are known. were /
the object of our la 1t visit, at eT leaving /
the Yosemite valley. II cost a ride OF /
from 6 O'Clock in the morning, to in
the evening, with rest of little more
than an hour. One-hslf of the ride.
first from the valley, and then to the big
trees. made a double climb Of about 5000
feet from level of 1000 feet above the
sea. These high climbs, even with six
horses, mean but about two miles an
hour. and the descent IS less than five
miles. We rode. in about II hours, As
miles, but only those who have traversed
I the Rockies and Sierra range know what
WORK Il is TO get over The roads built on
the sides of the mountains, so narrow
that there is no loom to pass, and, fortu-
nately, no people who want TO pass, ex-
cept at tie station for changing horses.
The land granted to the state covers four
sections, and the whole il under control
OF a so-called guardian OF caretakeT,
who knows how TO profit by his place in
the sale of cones, seeds, works in wood,
canes, &C., cut from the mOnarchs of
the forest, dead and living. There are
several hundred of these monarchs, and
cutting or manning them in any way is
forbidden by law. But the law has not
been respected, and where the curious
thousands and more come each year the
law is not likely To be ooeyed. We vis-
tied the largest of the number first, 1.-The
Grizzly GIaat,'' al Mariposa grove, half
burnt up years sgone, by the fire fiends
who, as herders of sheep, campers or
trampers, set fire to the woods. Three
fOurths of ali the big trees have been
? thus scorched or burned. Many of them
which seem wholly dead in their lower
! trunks, flourish at their majestic tops.
: The Grizzly Giant is 33 feet in diameter
u and the next in size is the "Wamona, ,
measuring % feet in diameter. The
circumference of the first was, by CuI
e hasty measurement, 50 feet, aud the
b Wamona, under the limbs or which we
: rode with our six-hOrse team and twelve
]
stage and more than the height anC
II length of two of the horses and the lonl
10 aud high stage. This passage way haC
q been cut from the body of the tree.
n Many of these mammoths of the fores
m have honored names. One is called tn
Washington and one, the Lincoln, i
g close at hand Longfellow. Whittier
al Tennyson, Bryant, Brewster, Bowles
le Cray, Harvard, and l know not hoy
le many more, have tree set for mora
d. worth or bodily presence.
of The burning of these trees, as far a
s the fre-fend has consumed them, is no
go all a work on record of modern times
of The fires of some of them were too lon
ot ago, and the untutored Indian is charge
a with being their first and greatest dt
al stroyeU.
ne The trunk of the big tree we visited q
Pueblo, on our way to the Pacific, haC
K. before being cut down a. the modest ag
or of 388 years, a circumference of only
ne feet, but it cost $3.50 to cut it down
he June, 1888. 1t was and is the olde
nv landmark of the country, and to add
its elevation, we are assured that
cb men hung upon one limb, and 36 person
,Iv were massacred while camping near
no Buffalo Bill Kit Carson, Wild Bill al
lse other Indian scouts are among tho
Ii. who were familiar with the past histo
ps of this monarch of the forest at Puebl
As but the Pueblo tree was a pygmy con
80 pared with the great giants in Z
u United States Park at Mariposs we ha
lO- Just left.