Bellingham in Whatcom County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood)

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 21, 2021

1. Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) Marker

Inscription. This tree was originally only known from fossil remains dating back 70 million years until living specimens were happily discovered in China in 1944. Some of the seeds gathered in a 1947 expedition were given to Carl S. English, horticulturist at the gardens at the Chittenden Locks in Seattle. He shared seeds with his Bellingham friend, Mary Jane Moser, who planted them and gave one of the seedlings to LeVern Freimann. Knowing this would become a large tree, Mr. Freimann planted it on Courthouse grounds in 1953. The plans drawn in 1990 for a major remodeling of the Courthouse called for the tree to be removed. Tony Idczak, Parks Horticulturist, pointed out the significance of the tree to County Executive, Shirley Van Zanten, who agreed the tree should be saved. She directed the architect to reconfigure the building and, thus, this rare and interesting tree has been preserved for the enjoyment of generations to come. This is one of the largest living specimens of this tree in the United States.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1944.

Location. 48° 45.242′ N, 122° 28.794′ W. Marker is in Bellingham, Washington, in Whatcom County. Marker is at the intersection

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of Grand Avenue and Central Avenue, on the left when traveling north on Grand Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham WA 98225, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Pickett Bridge (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Performance Theater in Bellingham (approx. 0.2 miles away); Downtown was the hub of commercial activity (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bellingham grew up along its streetcar lines (approx. ¼ mile away); Bellingham bloomed during its Tulip Festival in the 1920s (approx. ¼ mile away); Washington State's Oldest Brick Building (approx. 0.3 miles away); Bellingham Public Market Had Everything Under One Roof! (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Great Water Fight (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bellingham.

More about this marker. The marker is located underneath the tree, in the southeastern corner of the grounds of the Whatcom County Courthouse.

Also see . . . Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Wikipedia).

"Metasequoia glyptostroboides, the dawn redwood, is a fast-growing, endangered deciduous conifer. It is the sole living species of the genus Metasequoia, one of three genera in the subfamily Sequoioideae of the family Cupressaceae. It now survives only in wet lower
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 21, 2021

2. Dawn Redwood and Marker
The marker is visible here under the tree.
slopes and montane river and stream valleys in the border region of Hubei and Hunan provinces and Chongqing municipality in south-central China, notably in Lichuan county in Hubei. Although the shortest of the redwoods, it can grow to 120 ft (37 m) in height."

(Submitted on July 23, 2021.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 22, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 280 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 22, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 2. submitted on July 23, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.