Pioneer Cabin Tree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pioneer Cabin Tree |
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The Pioneer Cabin Tree in 2006
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| Species | Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) |
| Location | Calaveras Big Trees State Park, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 38°16′48.6″N 120°18′11.3″W / 38.280167°N 120.303139°W |
| Date felled | January 8, 2017 |
The Pioneer Cabin Tree, also known as The Tunnel Tree, was a huge giant sequoia tree in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, California. It was one of the most famous trees in the U.S. and attracted thousands of visitors every year.
This amazing tree was thought to be over 1,000 years old. Its trunk was about 33 feet (10 m) wide! We don't know its exact age or how tall it was. Sadly, the top part of the tree broke off before 1859. The entire tree fell and broke apart during a big storm on January 8, 2017.
The Tree's Story
The Pioneer Cabin Tree got its name because its trunk was hollow, a bit like a small log cabin. This hollow part was created by lightning strikes and forest fires. It even had small sections inside that looked like rooms, with the burnt core acting like a chimney. There was also a small opening that looked like a back door.
People noticed in 1857 that the top half of the tree, about 150 feet up, was broken off and that the tree was hollow inside.
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In the early 1880s, a tunnel was cut through the tree's hollow parts. A private landowner did this at the request of James Sperry, who owned the Murphys Hotel. The idea was to let tourists walk through the tree. The tree was chosen partly because it already had a large scar from a forest fire. The Pioneer Cabin Tree was made to be like the famous Wawona Tree in Yosemite, which also had a tunnel, to attract more visitors.
For over 50 years, starting in the 1880s, visitors were even allowed to write their names on the tree! But this practice was stopped in the 1930s. At first, only people walking could go through the tree. Later, for many years, cars could actually drive through it as part of the "Big Trees Trail." It was one of several "drive-through" trees in California. Eventually, only hikers were allowed to pass through the tree's tunnel on the North Grove Loop hiking trail.
Why the Tree Fell
The Pioneer Cabin Tree fell during a very strong rainstorm and flood on January 8, 2017. This was the biggest storm to hit the area in over ten years. Giant sequoias have shallow roots, and the heavy flooding likely caused the tree to fall. A park volunteer said that the tree had been getting weaker for several years. It was becoming brittle and leaning to one side, with only one branch still alive. The tunnel cut through its trunk had also weakened it a lot. When it fell, the tree shattered into many pieces.
After the tree fell, the park trail was closed for cleanup. Some parts of the tree remained whole, but the park's rules about preserving nature meant they couldn't cut it up. This also meant they couldn't find out its exact age.
Some people believed the tree fell not just because of the storm, but also because it had been changed to attract tourists. It was one of several trees that were altered to bring in more visitors. Today, park rangers say that cutting a tunnel through a tree like this would not be allowed.
Other Famous Tunnel Trees
The Pioneer Cabin Tree was one of many trees that were hollowed out for people to enjoy.
Two giant sequoia trees that once had tunnels for cars have both fallen:
- The Wawona Tree, in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, fell in 1969.
- The Pioneer Cabin Tree, in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, fell in 2017.
However, two giant sequoia trees that you can walk through still stand:
- The California tunnel tree in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park.
- A dead tunnel tree in Tuolumne Grove, Yosemite National Park.
Two other trees have special spaces carved inside them:
- The Hercules Tree in Mountain Home State Forest has a room carved into it, and it is still alive.
- Tharp's Log in Sequoia National Park Giant Forest is a fallen giant sequoia that was hollowed out by fire. It was used as part of a cattleman's cabin.
Tunnel Log is another famous fallen giant sequoia tree in Sequoia National Park. This tree was 275 feet (84 m) tall and 21 feet (6.4 m) wide. It fell across a park road in 1937 due to natural causes. The next year, a team cut an 8 feet (2.4 m) tall, 17 feet (5.2 m) wide tunnel through its trunk, so the road could be used again.
There are also three coast redwood trees near US 101 in northern California that you can still drive through:
- Klamath Tour Thru Tree
- Shrine Drive-Thru Tree
- Chandelier Tree
The loss of the Pioneer Cabin Tree reminded many people about how important it is to protect other amazing trees that are still standing.
See also
In Spanish: %C3%81rbol caba%C3%B1a del pionero para ni%C3%B1os
