Giant Forest Lodge Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Giant Forest Lodge Historic District in Sequoia National Park
includes the remnants of what was once an extensive National Park Service Rustic
style tourist development for park visitors. Also known as Camp Sierra, the district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in May 1978. Originally situated in the Giant Forest
grove of giant sequoias, the district is notable for its nearly total demolition by the National Park Service
to eliminate the impact of development on the Big Trees.
was established to provide additional capacity. By 1926, a study commissioned by the Park Service indicated that the development was adversely affecting the trees. The following year the park superintendent, Colonel John White, first proposed the removal of the development. However, the concessioner was able to intervene with the director of the Park Service, and White was overruled. He was, however, able to impose limits on guest accommodations, the first such limits in the National Park system. In 1962 and 1965 two reports indicated that the hydrology of the area had been affected by development, and that the fire suppression made necessary by the proximity of buildings had created an unfavorable environment for new sequoia growth. Additionally, the influential Leopold Report
on national park development, written by nature conservationist A. Starker Leopold
, specifically criticized the Giant Forest development. By 1971 the park's master plan called for the reduction of human impact in the Giant Forest. By 1980 a consensus had developed for the relocation of the recreational facilities.
By the 1990s the Park Service had resolved to remove the development, and demolition began in 1997. It was completed in 2000 for the Giant Forest Lodge area with the removal of all buildings, roads, and infrastructure. New development was centered around the Gilbert Stanley Underwood
Giant Forest Village Market building at nearby Camp Kaweah, which became the Giant Forest Museum in 2001. The facility is connected to the Giant Forest by shuttle bus.
The visitor accommodations were replaced by Wuksachi Village, located about five miles to the north and well away from the sequoia grove.
The demolition of the Giant Forest infrastructure is noteworthy as the most visible clash between the Park Service's role as a guardian of natural resources and its role as custodian of the National Register of Historic Places, when it had to determine which interest was more crucial.
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California, in the United States. It was established on September 25, 1890. The park spans . Encompassing a vertical relief of nearly , the park contains among its natural resources the highest point in the...
includes the remnants of what was once an extensive National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
style tourist development for park visitors. Also known as Camp Sierra, the district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in May 1978. Originally situated in the Giant Forest
Giant Forest
The Giant Forest, famed for its giant sequoia trees, is within Sequoia National Park. This montane forest, situated at over above mean sea level in the western Sierra Nevada of California, covers an area of...
grove of giant sequoias, the district is notable for its nearly total demolition by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
to eliminate the impact of development on the Big Trees.
Development
The first development in the Giant Forest took place in 1899, when a tent camp was set up in the grove. A road reached the site in 1903, and more permanent development followed. The first lodge was built in 1915. In 1921 the Sequoia and General Grant National Parks Company erected the primary lodging area next to Round Meadow, the first area to be called "Giant Forest Lodge". The same year, Camp KaweahGiant Forest Village-Camp Kaweah Historic District
The Giant Forest Village-Camp Kaweah Historic District is located in Sequoia National Park. It is notable as one of two registered historic districts in the park that were largely demolished as part of National Park Service efforts to mitigate the impact of park visitor facilities on the park's...
was established to provide additional capacity. By 1926, a study commissioned by the Park Service indicated that the development was adversely affecting the trees. The following year the park superintendent, Colonel John White, first proposed the removal of the development. However, the concessioner was able to intervene with the director of the Park Service, and White was overruled. He was, however, able to impose limits on guest accommodations, the first such limits in the National Park system. In 1962 and 1965 two reports indicated that the hydrology of the area had been affected by development, and that the fire suppression made necessary by the proximity of buildings had created an unfavorable environment for new sequoia growth. Additionally, the influential Leopold Report
Leopold Report
The Leopold Report, officially known as Wildlife Management in the National Parks, is a 1963 paper composed of a series of ecosystem management recommendations that were presented by the Special Advisory Board on Wildlife Management to United States Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall. Named...
on national park development, written by nature conservationist A. Starker Leopold
A. Starker Leopold
Aldo Starker Leopold was an American author, forester, zoologist and conservationist. He also served as professor at the University of California, Berkeley for thirty years...
, specifically criticized the Giant Forest development. By 1971 the park's master plan called for the reduction of human impact in the Giant Forest. By 1980 a consensus had developed for the relocation of the recreational facilities.
Removal
Gilbert Stanley Underwood
Gilbert Stanley Underwood was an American architect best known for his National Park lodges. Born in 1890, Underwood received his B.A. from Yale in 1920 and a M.A. from Harvard in 1923. After opening an office in Los Angeles that year, he became associated with Daniel Ray Hull of the National...
Giant Forest Village Market building at nearby Camp Kaweah, which became the Giant Forest Museum in 2001. The facility is connected to the Giant Forest by shuttle bus.
The visitor accommodations were replaced by Wuksachi Village, located about five miles to the north and well away from the sequoia grove.
The demolition of the Giant Forest infrastructure is noteworthy as the most visible clash between the Park Service's role as a guardian of natural resources and its role as custodian of the National Register of Historic Places, when it had to determine which interest was more crucial.
See also
- Giant Forest Village-Camp Kaweah Historic DistrictGiant Forest Village-Camp Kaweah Historic DistrictThe Giant Forest Village-Camp Kaweah Historic District is located in Sequoia National Park. It is notable as one of two registered historic districts in the park that were largely demolished as part of National Park Service efforts to mitigate the impact of park visitor facilities on the park's...
, includes the Giant Forest Museum - Wilsonia Historic DistrictWilsonia Historic DistrictWilsonia Historic District is a neighborhood of historic cabins among sequoia trees within Kings Canyon National Park in Tulare County, California. The 'neighborhood' is located near the General Grant Grove....
External links
- Giant Forest restoration at Sequoia National Park
- Giant Forest Lodge Historic District, Amphitheater, Three Rivers vicinity, Tulare County, CA: 2 photos, 1 data page, 1 photo caption page, at Historic American Building Survey
- Giant Forest Lodge Historic District, Cabin A, Three Rivers vicinity, Tulare County, CA: 6 photos, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page, at Historic American Building Survey