Tharp's Log
Encyclopedia
Tharp's Log is a hollowed giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) log at Log Meadow in the Giant Forest
grove of Sequoia National Park
that was used as a shelter by early pioneers. The log is named after Hale Tharp
, who was described as the first Non-Native American to enter the Giant Forest.
, becoming a cattleman rather than a miner. Tharp moved to the area of the Kaweah River
in 1856, and with guides from the Potwisha people of the area he explored the mountains above. Tharp went back in 1860 with his two sons. They climbed Moro Rock
and made an encampment near Crescent Meadows. It was not until 1869 that Tharp moved a cattle herd into the Giant Forest area.
Tharp established a small summer cattle ranch at Giant Forest and used a fallen log as a cabin. The log was hollowed by fire through fifty-five feet of its seventy-foot length. A fireplace, door and window exist at the wider end, with a small shake-covered cabin extension.
John Muir
described it as a "noble den".
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 Sequoia National Park
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...
that was used as a shelter by early pioneers. The log is named after Hale Tharp
Hale Tharp
Hale Dixon Tharp was a miner during the California Gold Rush, and the first non-Native American to enter Giant Forest, in what is now Sequoia National Park.-Gold Country:...
, who was described as the first Non-Native American to enter the Giant Forest.
History
Tharp had arrived in 1852 in the goldfields around PlacervillePlacerville, California
Placerville is the county seat of El Dorado County, California. The population was 10,389 at the 2010 census, up from 9,610 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, becoming a cattleman rather than a miner. Tharp moved to the area of the Kaweah River
Kaweah River
The Kaweah River in the U.S. state of California flows westward from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley. It rises in forks in the southern Sierra Nevada inside Sequoia National Park, the longest of which is the Middle Fork, about long...
in 1856, and with guides from the Potwisha people of the area he explored the mountains above. Tharp went back in 1860 with his two sons. They climbed Moro Rock
Moro Rock
Moro Rock is a granite dome rock formation in Sequoia National Park, California, USA. It is located in the center of the park, at the head of Moro Creek, between Giant Forest and Crescent Meadow. A stairway, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, is cut into and poured onto the...
and made an encampment near Crescent Meadows. It was not until 1869 that Tharp moved a cattle herd into the Giant Forest area.
Tharp established a small summer cattle ranch at Giant Forest and used a fallen log as a cabin. The log was hollowed by fire through fifty-five feet of its seventy-foot length. A fireplace, door and window exist at the wider end, with a small shake-covered cabin extension.
John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
described it as a "noble den".
See also
- Cattle CabinCattle CabinThe Cattle Cabin is a one-room log cabin that was built in the Sierra Nevada by Hale Tharp and two partners in 1890, in present day Sequoia National Park, California....
- another building associated with Hale Tharp in the Giant Forest area.