Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Big Tree
Sequoiadendrion giganteum
Photographed by Adam Margolis, September 23, 2016
1. Big Tree Marker
This nine-foot section of a giant sequoia was cut 30 feet from the base of a tree that fell in the Mariposa Grove in 1919. Annual rings show the tree's to be 996 years old, but at the base of the tree, where the diameter was 14 feet, the age was found to be 1,100 years. One of the largest trees in the Mariposa Grove, the Grizzly Giant, has been estimated to be 1790 years old.
These big trees should not be confused with the coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, which is utilized commercially. Both are sequoias, part of the redwood family of trees, but the giant sequoia Sequoia giganteum, is native only to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. The coast redwood grows along the Pacific coast from the Monterey Peninsula to southwestern Oregon.
The fossil record indicates that over forty species of the redwood family once existed in the Northern Hemisphere. Eighteen species survive to the present, three of which have the name sequoia.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical year for this entry is 1919.
Location. 37° 44.91′ N, 119° 35.284′ W. Marker is in Yosemite
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Regionally, this marker is in California’s Sierra Nevada. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Yosemite National Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Yosemite Valley (within shouting distance of this marker); A Home for Rangers (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); James Hutchings (approx. 0.3 miles away); Early Tourism (approx. 0.3 miles away); Reawakening the Meadow (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Old Yosemite Village (approx. 0.4 miles away); John Muir... The Woodcutter (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map
Photographed by Adam Margolis, September 23, 2016
2. Big Tree Marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. The Story of Half Dome (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Regarding Big Tree. The name Sequoia honors Sequoyah, a Native American of the Cherokee Nation. In 1821, he created the Cherokee syllabary, making reading and writing in Cherokee possible. This allowed the Cherokee nation to be one of the first North American Indigenous groups to have a written language.
Photographed by Adam Margolis, September 23, 2016
3. Big Tree Marker
Photographed by Adam Margolis, September 23, 2016
4. Big Tree Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 15, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. This page has been viewed 318 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 15, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
