The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-11-28
MAMMOTH TREES
NEAR HOOD RIVER

Geo T. Prather. who left the FIRST NJ
the week for southern California isst
week handed US the clipping sppesrirg
below and taken fromIthe 0reeoniap Z
wears ago, declaring that it would be
of interest to local people at the pres-
ent time. MIR. Prather says the big
trees NAV be seen between RuU Run
and the headwaters OF Hood river to.
day:
attention of the people of Oregon. but
especially the attention Of the peoule
of Portland. to quite bunch of in.
mense trees in the mountains Is 10 %
miles from my place. near Latourell.
on the 0. r. & N. ! used to make
every year, before or after harvest
time, a trip TO the mountains, lasting
generally eight to ten days, and it MAS
on one of my last trips about four
wears ago. that | discovered. on tbs
northeast side of the divide, between
the waters of the Bull Kun and the
Hood river, this certain bunch Of giant
trees: the like | never saw before or
since. Before | saw these giants,
had measured, from time to time.
some trees at home which girdled % To
80 feet around, about three feet above
the base, but these trees could not be
compared at all with the big trees
found in the mountains. They would
appear as mere sticks against those
giants. | honestly believe that those
giants will girdle 90 to 50 feet around
near the base, and that they are $50 to
400 feet high. They stand on kind Of a
flatsor bottom, and this flat is well pro-
tected from discovery, as far as | could
perceive, by steep and high bluffs. not
only from the Hood River side, but up
from the main water divide down.
There exists already trail on the Bull
Run, and by extending this trail about
seven miles or so ! believe these giant
trees could be reached, so that a man
on horseback could easily ride from
Latourell to them in one day. These
big trees of Oregon are, in my mind,
somewhere near the north line of the
National park, but it is doubtful if they
are in it.
"There are two species of the giant
trees. One species, to which | would
draw attention especially, has a yell
lowish and not very rough bark, is
straight and round as candle, has no
limbs to an immense height, and has
a nice, wonderful crown. The father
of this aristocratic species in our noun
tains is surely the emperor, or the
president, of our forest. People must
not think that this tree is the so-called
noble fir, because | know not only the
noble fir, but many other mountain
trees as we'll. Nor must they think
that this species is one OF the common
trees in the mountains. No; never
found one of this special kind of trees
in the mountain except on that certain
fiat or bottom. The bottom is about a
quarter of mile broad, but / do not
know how long. had no time to ex-
anime it, as | had TO hurry back to
camp to my companions before night
fall, but in spite of my haste, the
grandeur of the size of the trees forces
me again and again to stop in awe and
W onder. | canot say how many such
giants there are. There may be hun
dreds, there may be thousands. On
our way home one of my companions
was drowned in the Bull Run, and
therefore never went to the noun
tains again, but have always had de-
sire to go and investigate further
among those big trees. Cedar is the
second species of the big trees. They
rival in size and grandeur the first
species. But the most wonderful thing
about them seems 10 he that thew are
in spite of their immense diameter, and
age, seemingly sound and hard, through
and through. L. Ferdinand Floss. /"