Near Lodgepole Village in Tulare County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

For the Good of the Giants

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 26, 2011

1. For the Good of the Giants Marker

[Photo caption:]
Until 1970 the gas station shown here in the 1950’s stood just to your right. I was one of the facilities removed to protect the sequoias of Giant Forest.

Inscription. Try to imagine yourself standing here in the 1950’s. You would have been surrounded by cars. Engine noise and exhaust would have overridden your impressions of the giant trees. Almost 100 cabins and motel units would have faced you from across the road.

Development in the Giant Forest began long ago. As early as the 1890’s people began building here. Campgrounds, hotels, shops, a post office, park headquarters, parking lots, a gas station, and a sewage treatment plant all stood on the roots of the sequoias.

Over time, people recognized the damage being done to the grove’s ecology and beauty. In the 1970’s the park began to move services to less sensitive areas. In 1999 the last building came down.

Today, the only facilities left here are those dedicated to one thing – helping you learn about giant sequoias.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical year for this entry is 1999.

Location. 36° 33.886′ N, 118° 46.374′ W. Marker is near Lodgepole Village, California, in Tulare County. It is on Generals Highway (State Highway 198). This marker is located in Sequoia National

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Park at the Giant Forest Museum. The museum is located approximately one hour north of the Ash Mountain entrance to the park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Three Rivers CA 93271, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Joaquin Valley,

specifically in the Central Valley,

and in the Sierra Nevada.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Colonel Young: A Buffalo Soldier (approx. ¾ mile away); Auto Log (approx. ¾ mile away); Stephen Tyng Mather (approx. one mile away); The CCC Boys (approx. 1.1 miles away); Call the Cavalry! (approx. 1.1 miles away); Buttress Tree (approx. 1.1 miles away); Cattle Cabin (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Naturalists (approx. 1.3 miles away).

Also see . . . The Giant Forest Museum. NPS website with information on the museum which is where the marker is located. (Submitted on July 12, 2011.)

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 26, 2011

2. For the Good of the Giants Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 7, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 804 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 7, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.