The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-02-09
OUR GIANT Trees
Over a Million Monster Sequoias
In One National Park.
THE OLDEST LIVING THINGS.
No Other Form of Life In This World
Can Compare In Age With These
Mighty Monarehs Of the Forest, Some
Having Seen Thirty Centuries.


four years old, yet east Of the Rockies
1t is scarcely known. Yellowstone and
Yosemite are the only two names
which the enormous majority of east
erners think of when national parks
are mentioned. Nevertheless Sequoia
Is perhaps. in point of average beauty,
the superior of all. 1t was dear to the
heart of John Muir, father Of national
parks, and Chief Geographer X. Il.
Marshall, who knows them all as no
other man knows them. having sur
veyed or traverseI them in person. has
declared In print that it possesses beau
ty as great as all others combined.
Perhaps the most potent reason for
its lack of celebrity is that this is the
big tree park. and the general public
associates the big trees of California
with Yosemite. The Mariposa grove,
within easy reach OF the Yosemite val
ley, contains several enormous sequoia
trees. In fact, the Yosemite National
park contains three groves of these
giants, the two others being the MERGED
and Tuolumne groves, which lie with
in easy reach To the northwest.
The ScquOia National park. however,
which lies many miles south of Yose-
mite. was created to preserve. for the
use and pleasure of the people of the
United States, by far the greatest
groves of the oldest, the biggest and
the most remarkable trees living in
this world. They number 1,1GG,OO0.
OF these 12,0C0 exceed ten feet in di-
ameter. The General Sherman tree,
most celebrated of all, is 2T99 feet
high. with Il diameter of 36.J feet. The
Abraham Lincoln tree is go feet high,
with q diameter of 81 feet. The VIII
liam Mckinley tree is POI feet high,
with diameter of % feet.
The General Grant National park is
cause. though separated by six miles
of mountain and forest, the two are
practically the same national park. 1t
contains only 1856 acres and was Gre
ated only for the protection of the Gen
eral Grant tree, Il monster sequoia 2Gf
feet high and thirty-five feet in dame
ter. But General Grant shares his do
main with distinguished neighbOrs.
notably the George Washington tree.
which Is only nine feet less in height
and six feet less in diameter.
The sequoias are the oldest living
things in this world. "They are the
connecting link" writes Ellsworth
Huntington, "between the ancient east
and the modern west.
"Three thousand fenceposts. sufii-
cient to support a wire fence around
5000 or 5000 acres. have been made
from one Of these giants. and that was
only the first step toward using its
huge carcass. Six hundred and fifty
thousand shingles. enough to cover the
roofs of seventy or eighty houses,
formed the second item of its product.
Finally. there still remained hundreds
of cords of frewOod. which no one
could use because of the prohibitlve
expense of hauling the wood out of
the mountains. The upper third of the
trunk and all the branches lie on the
ground where they fell, not yisibly rot
ting. for the wood is wonderfully en-
during. but simply waiting till some
foolish camper shall light devastat-
ing fire.
Huge as the sequoias are, their size
is scarcely so wonderful as their age.
A tree that has lived 500 years is sim
in its early youth. one that has round
ed out 1000 summers and winters is
only in full maturity, and old age. the
threescore years and ten of the Sc
quotas. does not come for seventeen or
eighteen centuries.
How old the oldest trees may be is
not yet certain, but have counted the
rings of seventy-nine that were over
1000 years of age, of three that We're
over 1900 and of one that was $3.50"
The sequoias are found scattered all
over the park, which has an area Of
1851 acres, but the greater trees are
gathered in thirteen groups of many
acres each. where they grow close to-
gether.
The general country Is one OF the
most beautiful In America, Astounding
in splendid streams, noble valleys,
striking ridges and towering noun
tains. Some of the best trout fishing
In the world is found here. The park
is the home of the celebrated golden
trout, which is found nowhere else in
such perfection OF color.
In laying out the boundaries Of Sc
quota National park some of the most
superb of American scenic country
was unaccountably omitted. just to
the north lies the wonderful valley Of
the Kings river. with its spectacular
canyon and picturesque mountains.
while directly ON the east. over the
great western divide. Is a region noted
for its beauty. Mount Whitney. ON its
east bank. is the loftiest mountain IL
the United States. These two districts
are easily reached from the national
park. Of which they are in effect.
though not In administration and pro-
lection. a natural part.-Geographical