Vicious storm fells one of California's iconic drive-through tunnel trees

Hikers pose in the Pioneer's Cabin
Tree, a giant sequoia that had a tunnel
carved into it in the 1880s.

One hundred and thirty-seven years ago, well before the Calaveras North Grove was purchased by the California State Park System and renamed the Calaveras Big Trees State Park, the land's owners carved an enormous hole in the base of one of its sequoia trees. On Sunday, that tree fell.

This particular, 45-metre tall tree boasted a wide base - about 10 metres in diameter - which featured a large fire scar, an attribute that makes it easier to tunnel through. And that's exactly what the owners created, a tunnel wide enough for an automobile to drive through.

The idea of passing through an enormous tree immediately proved to be a hit. Named the Pioneer's Cabin Tree because the created chamber exposed the trunk's hollowness, giving it a chimney-like appearance and calling to mind the image of an old log cabin, the tree quickly became one of the park's most popular features.

Curious tourists would come from around the country to etch their names into its bark. Photos from the 1800s show visitors staring up into its great expanse, awe etched on their faces.

Read the story in The Sydney Morning Herald by Travis M. Andrews - “Vicious storm fells one of California's iconic drive-through tunnel trees.”