Grant Grove

A giant of a tale in Grant Grove

By Shawn Gadberry

At the eastern end of State Route 30 lies Kings Canyon National Park. Just a few miles into the park is an area known as Grant Grove. Grant Grove is home to several Giant Sequoia trees. The General Grant Tree is the third largest Giant Sequoia known to be in existence. At 268 feet high and 40 feet in diameter, the tree is approximately 1,700 years old and weighs an approximate 1,254 tons.

In 1867, it was named after Ulysses S. Grant, general in the Union Army and 18th president of the United States. In 1890, the tree and the surrounding 4-square miles became General Grant National Park.

In 1925, a Sanger resident named Charles E. Lee organized a Christmas program around the magnificent tree. This was followed, in 1926, by President Calvin Coolidge designating the tree as the National Christmas Tree. Every year since, decorations have been placed at the base of the tree in honor of the holiday.

In 1940, General Grant National Park was absorbed into the newly created Kings Canyon National Park. In 1956, the tree received another honor. President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared the tree a “national shrine” as a memorial to those who have died in war.

“It is the only living national shrine in the United States,” says Alex Pickavet, public information officer for Kings Canyon National Park. “In this time of war and unrest, it’s nice to go to the natural setting of the national parks to remember the people you’ve lost.”

The grove is home to other distinctive Giant Sequoia, such as the California Tree, the Tennessee Tree and the Oregon Tree.

The Fallen Monarch is a tourist favorite. The hollowed-out giant provides visitors a chance to walk through the body of a Giant Sequoia that has been unchanged since it was discovered more than 100 years ago. The Fallen Monarch has been used as a home, saloon, stable and employee camp in the early days of the park.

“Grant Grove is a beautiful place,” says Paul Worthington of Mariposa. Although he was raised in Fresno, Worthington visited Kings Canyon Park and Grant Grove recently for the first time since he was a toddler. He was amazed by what he experienced in the grove.

“I think more Fresnans should enjoy this nearby getaway, a serene park of majestic trees and cooler temperatures high above the Valley,” he says.