Vizcaíno-Serra Oak facts for kids

The Vizcaíno-Serra Oak (also called the Junípero Oak) was a very large California live oak tree. It was important in the early history of Monterey, California, and was closely linked to Father Junípero Serra. The explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno first wrote about this tree in 1602. It stood next to a creek in what is now Monterey State Historic Park. The tree died in 1904 and was cut down in 1905. Its preserved trunk and lower branches were put up at the Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo. They stayed there for most of the 1900s. Even though the tree's remains are no longer there, you can see pieces of it in local museums.

A Historic Tree: The Vizcaíno-Serra Oak's Story

How the Tree Became a Landmark

This famous tree once stood in a small valley. A creek from this valley flowed into the southern part of Monterey Bay. On December 3, 1602, the Sebastián Vizcaíno expedition found fresh water here. They had just sailed into the bay.

On December 17, 1602, some friars from Vizcaíno's group held a special Mass under the tree. Vizcaíno then claimed Monterey for Spain. He also wrote about the tree in his notes. These notes helped future explorers.

In 1769, Gaspar de Portolá led a trip to find the bay. He wanted to start a Spanish settlement in Monterey. At first, he couldn't find it. But in May 1770, he succeeded! He followed Father Junípero Serra's idea to look for the big oak tree Vizcaíno had described.

On June 3, 1770, bells were hung from the tree. Father Serra held a Mass in a shelter built under the tree. The military leaders of Portolà's group then raised the Spanish flag. This was a very important moment for California.

The Tree's Later Years and Its End

The tree was hit by lightning in 1840. But it kept standing as a well-known landmark until 1905. In 1903, workers were fixing a drain near the tree. Sadly, their work caused sea-water to damage its roots. This damage could not be fixed.

William Randolph Hearst bought the land where the tree stood. He hoped to get more land from the government. He wanted to build a park around the tree to protect it. However, in July 1904, the tree was declared dead. A year later, it was cut down and thrown into Monterey Bay.

Saving a Piece of History

When Ramón Mestres, a priest at the Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo, found out what happened, he acted quickly. He had local fishermen pull the tree out of the bay. They brought it to the cathedral grounds.

With money from Harry Ashland Greene, the tree's trunk and some lower branches were saved. They used crude oil and creosote to preserve them. Parts that had rotted were filled with concrete. The tree's remains were then placed on a stand in the cathedral gardens. A special plaque was put at its base.

The plaque reads:

The Junipero Oak. At Monterey, June 3rd, 1770 the ceremony of taking possession of California for Spain was enacted by Father Junipero Serra under the shade of this tree, placed here for preservation by R.M. Mestres, H.A. Greene, 1905

Greene also asked local artists to make chairs from some of the tree's branches. He gave two chairs to the Native Sons of the Golden West. One of these chairs is now owned by California State Parks. It was shown at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition and at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History in 2015 and 2016.

In 1908, a granite Celtic cross was put up near where the tree originally stood. It has a carved picture of Junípero Serra. The artist Douglas Tilden made it. James A. Murray, an art collector, paid for it. This cross is now a California Historical Landmark.

The preserved tree eventually became too old and damaged to repair. It was removed from the cathedral grounds. Only the plaque from 1905 remains there. However, you can still see pieces of the tree. They are on display at the San Carlos Cathedral Heritage Center and at the Carmel Mission museum.

The Vizcaíno-Serra Oak in Art

Paintings and Murals of the Famous Tree

In 2015, a large mural was painted for the city of Monterey. It shows what the tree might have looked like to Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602. This mural is 12 feet tall and 5 feet wide. It is on a wall across from Fisherman's Wharf along the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail.

The artist, Stephanie Rozzo, is a scientific illustrator. She based her painting on old photos of the tree from the late 1800s. She also used a drawing from 1876 by Jules Tavernier.

Two other European artists also painted the Vizcaíno-Serra Oak. They were Carl von Perbandt and Léon Trousset. These artists often visited Tavernier's art group. In the 1870s, Trousset created three beautiful paintings. They showed Father Junípero Serra celebrating Mass under the tree on June 3, 1770.

Trousset's largest painting from 1877 is called Father Serra Celebrates Mass at Monterey. You can see it at the Carmel Mission museum. Another version of his painting is kept by the California Historical Society.

Images for kids

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  The 1905 plaque in the grounds of the Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo marking the site where the preserved remains of the tree once stood

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  Father Serra Celebrates Mass at Monterey by Léon Trousset, 1877