The big trees of Calaveras County
I began a body of prints and drawings in 2013 to visually tell the story of this giant sequoia grove in northern California from the initial destruction of its largest trees in 1851 to the state of the grove today. As the first sequoia grove exploited by Euro-Americans, as a catalyst in the conservation movement, and today, as a grove celebrating the largest species on the planet, the Calaveras Grove of Big Trees conveys a gripping narrative. The exploitation, ignorance, destruction, and conservation efforts of this historic spot are emblematic of the westward expansion of European immigrants across this country.
The work has culminated with a graphite rubbing of the Discovery Stump as it exists today (161 years after its felling). Its diameter is etched with carved names of tourists. The exterior contour of the stump is weathered and gnarly. The surface retains textured rings and burn scars of it age. Having acquired the appropriate permits, in the summer of 2014, I was able to complete the 24'x24' rubbing in 11 days. The finished print is a timeline of the tree's life and a document of the grove's history from a privately owned tourist attraction to a California State Park. As a photograph cannot provide a real understanding of these giants, the print may also serve as a direct link for those who have not made it to California themselves.
A Graphite Rubbing and The First Felled Giant
The first felled giant
The giant sequoia, or sierra redwood, is the largest tree on earth. These trees were first “discovered” by Euro-Americans in 1852 when a hunter for a mining company, Augustus T. Dowd, stumbled upon one in pursuit of a wounded grisly. The company quickly staked claim to the land as the minors speculated that digging for gold was not the only way to get rich in the sierras.
Of course the big trees were of no great surprise to Native Americans. In fact, to escape the heat of lower altitudes, many Miwok peoples habituated this area as a summer home long before gold was unearthed in the Sierras.
The largest tree in the grove, coined “The Discovery Tree”, was the first to be exploited. The tree was stripped of its lower section of bark, which was carted to San Francisco and reassembled indoors to turn a profit on admission. In the age of PT Barnum and the circus sideshow, San Franciscans were incredulous as to the authenticity of this bark coming from a single tree. Shortly thereafter, 5 men managed to fell the tree in 22 days time. They could now take a cross-section to San Francisco to substantiate their claim, and the “discovery tree” was now called “the discovery stump.”
Over the years, the stump has served a variety of purposes including performances, dances, and public meetings. In 1858 it was even used as a print shop for the nearby mining town of Murphy’s publishing issues of Big Trees Bulletin and Murphy’s Advertiser. In 1861, a fully enclosed round pavilion was constructed over the stump that remained for 73 years. In 1931 the North Grove was acquired by the State of California, and the Calaveras Big Trees State Park was created.
The rubbing
The documentary rubbing is undoubtedly one of the oldest, and more direct, forms of printmaking. From disseminating stone-carved Confucian texts as early as second century AD, to Japanese fishermen recording the size of their catch in the 19th Century Gyotaku process, this simple technique has always provided a direct-ratio record of time and place.
In the summer of 2014, the superintendent of Calaveras Big Trees State Park issued me a scientific collections permit. This permission allowed me to spend eight, 10-hour days completing a 1:1 ratio rubbing of the Discovery Stump, as it exists today (162 years after it’s felling). It’s 24’ diameter is carved with the names of tourists. The exterior contour of the stump is weathered and gnarly. The surface retains the textured rings and burn scars of it age. The finished print is a timeline of the tree’s life and a document of the grove’s history from a privately owned tourist attraction to a California State Park. As a photograph cannot provide a real understanding of these giants, the print may also serve as a direct link for those who have not made it to California themselves.
