Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-07-28
Miss Florence Minis Writes. of.
the. Redwood Trees and a 90
visit to Muir Woods.
Dear Advertise

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Dear Advertiser:
The state of California is so large,
extending from Oregon on the north
to Mexico on the south, that almost
every physical formation is found
within its boundaries, snow capped
mountains, deserts, the most gigan-
tic trees in the world, great grain
fields and fruit orchards that can not
be surpassed. A great part of the Pa
Gifts washes the shores of California.
No one thing has quite impressed
me to the extent as have the red
wood trees. They are older far than
any living person, and taller than
any other living tree. These trees
were saplings when King Solomon's
temple was being built. The first one
Ii saw was in Portland. Oregon: 1t
was proudly stamped as being a Cal
ifornia redwood.
From seeing that one, l recognized
the same trees along the way as we
came down through northern Cali
fornia. Besides being tall and large,
they are peculiarly good to look up
on, having flaky bark that grows in
strips down the length of the tree.
The leaves are small and fern-shaped
like the fir.
Some of the conspicuous things
about these trees are that they are
immune to all diseases common to
trees and all attacks from insects.
The variety of redwood or Sequoia
which grows near the coast has a mi
raculous capacity for growth from
the trunk or from the root saplings.
The wood is almost indestructible
and will stand for an unlimited time
without evidence Of decay. The red
woods along the western shores of
California rarely grow more than
thirty miles from the ocean, because
they are so dependent on the heavy
fogs for moisture.
The government has preserved a
great forest of these trees across the
bay from San Francisco, known as
the Muir Woods. Here they grow by
hundreds, so tall that it seems their
tips might be scorched by their very
nearness to the sun.
There are endless thousands of
them, with shady paths cut between
the huge TRUNKS. One peculier natur-
al arrangement is known as Cattle
dral Grove where several have grown.
around a vacant spot, to form a sort
of arched aisle. Many weddings have
taken place under this altar formed
by nature.
Anything which is the best and
most perfect of it's kind is always of
Interest, and nothing more so than a
magnificent tree that is at once sub
lime and beautiful.
To reach the Muir Woods we used
four different modes of transporta-
ton. First, we ferried across the bay,
and from there took an ordinary cleo
trio car to Mill Valley. There we
boarded the most curious street a I
had ever seen, a sort of skeleton af-
fair pushed by a tiny engine that
pulled much more than one pulling
a number of large coaches. After
climbing up and down hill, we were
called upon to transfer to a still more
unique means Of transportation, a
small car with no apparent means of
locomotion. I looked for an engine
to be attached to the back OF front,
but saw none. I thought there surely
must be an engine somewhere of
some kind, but we were told to get
in Five long seats including the driv-
er's, stood on the rails, and with a
peculiarly bewildered feeling, /
climbed in the last seat, and soon
learned that the car was propelled by
gravity, rolling down the rails around
the incline of the mountain side, and
the difficulty, after all, was not to
make the car go, but to hold it back.
We sped around sharp curves border
ed by the great redwoods, and final
ly came. into the very midst of them
where the car abruptly stopped.
To me a grove of great trees is
almost as sacred as a temple. I do
not mean that %profanely, but that
such a forest would indeed be an ap-
propriate place to worship, where
God has so evidently worked to form
" uso ~.r,p