YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES 



Sequoias," available at museums .ind gift 



shops.) 



B MARIPOSA GROVE. The giant 

 »% sequoia is native only on the west- 

 ern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, 

 and occurs in scattered groves for a dis- 

 tance of 250 miles, mostly at elevations 

 of 5 000 to 8400 feet. Of the three 

 groves in Yosemite the Mariposa Grove 

 is the largest and best known. It was 

 probably discovered in 1849 by Major 

 Burney, the first Mariposa County 

 sheriff, and John McCauley. Measure- 

 ments were taken and reported in the 

 town of Mariposa but they were consid- 

 ered just another "tall" story of those 

 pioneer days. In 18 57 this grove was 

 thoroughly explored and brought to 

 public attention by Galen Clark, one of 

 the first visitors to the region. He named 

 it after the County of Mariposa in 

 which it is located. In 1864 President 

 Lincoln signed an act setting aside the 

 Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley as 

 the Yosemite Grant, the first State Park 

 of the nation. It was administered by the 

 State of California with Galen Clark as 

 first guardian. The grove is about four 



square miles in area and includes about 

 200 mature trees. 



Ahead you will see a sign pointing to 

 the GRIZZLY GIANT, named by 

 James M. Hutchings in 1859, the fifth 

 largest giant sequoia known and the 

 largest in Yosemite. It may be the old- 

 est of all giant sequoias, estimated age 

 3 800 years. The blackened places on the 

 giant sequoias are burns from forest 

 firs of the last few centuries. These trees 

 arc amazingly resistant to fire, insects 

 and fungus attack and usually die only 

 when roots are disturbed and they fall. 



B YOUNG SEQUOIAS. Although 

 ^ millions of seeds, each less than 

 " 1 672th of an ounce when dry, 

 may be dropped by a single mature tree, 

 only about 15'' ever germinate and 

 onl\ r then when the seeds can reach min- 

 eral soil. In spite of this low viability 

 our giant sequoia groves are not 

 dying off. In addition to this cluster 

 numerous young sequoias have sprung 

 up in front of the Big Trees Lodge 

 where the soil was disturbed in the 

 building of the parking area. 



Mariposa Grove Museum and Giant Sequoias 



