Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-02-14
Tue CALIFORNIA REDWOOD.
Once II Grew Ia all Clims. -Dcrlya.
ton " It's Name.
Written Tor tho NEWS

Written Tor tho NEwA
Almost everyone Is interested Ia the
redwood trees or the "bIf trees" Of
California. The lumbcmau stands
before them and estimates bis profits
IN converting them into lumber from
which our beautiful redwood floors,
doors and in some case book shelves
are made. The tourist .mircs their
II gantic size aud feels that hc has neg.
lccicd a part OF bis duty u hc fails 10
record the fact that one oitie "hIg.trccs"
is 5g5 feet high oae that BIAS fallen had
gifth Of nearly seventy i1t, and Is
rings OF growth indicate ln axe OF about
1900 years. These aud few other like
entries attest the nature OF his inter.
est.
Unlike the lumbeman aud ur'st.who
think only Of the present the b1tanlst and
geologist, standing before these trees.
allow their minds 10 contemplate the
past history Of them, as well ls to dwell
ON their present condition. lu the
Tertiary age the geological age I'm.
mcdiatcly preceding the age boz which
we live, the redwood trees and trees
closely related TO them grew boo almost
all parts Of the world Remains of
them have been found in Greenland as
Ear north as 75' Indeed vast forests OF
them were found within the Arctic
zone. In SpiNbefgen they louushcd
up to Is north latitude. IN Asia the
rcdwoods ranged from the extreme
north TO the liimalaya mJunaiLy un
the south, and from the Caspian sea ON
the west 10 the sea d. Japan on the
east ltsccms to have grown In most
parts Of Europe and probably Africa.
In North America romans have been
found IN several parts OF Canada and
from there south TO southern Mexico,
Even in Ear OIL Australia Il is known 20
have grown, but u became extinct there,
for some unknown reason, early IN the
Tertiary period. Ia Asia, Europe and
North America the twenty-siN species
Of redwood persisted until the Glacial
period when all but two species became
extinct. aud these two arc stranded on
our Pacific coast The two species are
known TO botanisls as the Sr2Ygia sem.
petgJcHl and the SsgHlig gigaHffg. The
FIRST still forms extensive forests aud Is
the source OF our redwood lumber.
while the latter IS dauucuygly known
as the "bigtfce,'
The SfgH0ig gigagicg was not recog.
nized as separate species until 1888.
Il grow In Isolated clumps on some OF
the mountains Of California, at an Gle.
walton Of from 5000 20 1000 feet above
sea level.
There Is some interesting history con.
nccled with the botanical name Of these
trees, Scgg0ia. Ss.Quo.Nah was the
Indian name OF loln Guess, half
breed Cherokee Indian, born In Ala.
bama In t77o. With no aid whatever
he invented an alphabet Tor his people,
and taught Il. 10 such a. he could per.
suade to learn Il by writing Il on leaves.
Before Se.Quo.Ylh and his people were
banished TO New Mexico and Indian
Territory in 1875, some missionaries to
the Cherokees published periodical In
this alphabet and translated a part OF
the Bible, using this character. The
Cherukecs now have considerable
literature written In their own language.
Se.Quo'Yah died Ia New Mexico in
IS43.
When the bo,anIst Endlicher pre-
pared his synopsis Of the pines In 1870
he was induced 10 dedicate the redwood
tree to the greatest literary genius the
red men Of America ever produced.
To make the name pronounceable he
soltened Sc Quo-Yah to Sequoia.
C.. A. WUTlSG.
University OF Utah.