Wawona Tree

Wawona Tree
Photo of the tree from June, 1918. Tree has a tunnel through center of trunk. There is a car passing through the trunk.
Wawona Tunnel Tree, June 1918
Map
SpeciesGiant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
LocationMariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California, US
Coordinates37°30′53″N 119°35′42″W / 37.51470°N 119.59494°W / 37.51470; -119.59494
Date felledFebruary 1969[1] (February 1969[1])
Wawona Tunnel Tree, August 1962

The Wawona Tree, also known as the Wawona Tunnel Tree, was a famous giant sequoia that stood in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California, United States, until February 1969. It had a height of 227 feet (69 m) and was 26 feet (7.9 m) in diameter at the base.[2]

The origin of the word Wawona is not known.[3][4][5] A popular story claims Wawō'na was the Miwok word for "big tree", or for "hoot of the owl". Birds are considered the sequoia trees' spiritual guardian.[6]

  1. ^ "National Park Quiz 58: Tunnels - National Parks Traveler". www.nationalparkstraveler.com. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions, Tunnel Tree". Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. National Park Service. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
  3. ^ Farquhar, Francis P. "Place Names of the High Sierra". Yosemite Online. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  4. ^ Kroeber, Alfred J. (1916). "California Place Names of Indian Origin". American Archaeology and Ethnology. 12 (2): 66. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  5. ^ Clark, Galen (1904). Indians of the Yosemite Valley and Vicinity (1st ed.). Yosemite Valley, California. p. 109. Retrieved 9 March 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ [1] Archived December 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine