The Fallen Monarch in Mariposa Grove by Zina Abbott

 

One of the better known and more prominent features in Mariposa Grove, which is in the southern tip of Yosemite National Park, is a tree known as the “Fallen Monarch.” It has been the scene of many a photo-shoot from the earliest days of tourism in Yosemite.

Tourists and horses, circa 1900

The exact date when the Fallen Monarch tree fell remains unknown. Though its bark and sapwood have decayed over centuries, its heartwood endures as a lasting monument. In the past, visitors would drive stagecoaches onto the massive trunk for photos.

 

The following from a report from 1901 that accompanied several photographs taken about that time:

…This grove stands in central California, 170 miles E.S.E. from San Francisco; the famous Yosemite Valley is about 16 miles distant at the north. It was only fifty years ago that white men first knew of the existence of these stupendous trees, and the first reports about their size—made by hunters—were treated as sportsmen’s fiction. As a matter of fact, several trees now standing here at Mariposa are 300 feet tall. 

About 24 feet in diameter

 This particular tree may have fallen before Columbus landed on American shores. It was probably alike, though comparatively small, during the time of Christ in Palestine. Now it is partly buried in a six-foot mass of leaf mould accumulated since its fall. The wood is still in good preservation, and there is enough material in this one trunk to cover three miles of generously wide roadway with substantial plank!

      It is almost impossible to believe the gigantic dimensions of these trees; but count for yourself the number of horsemen on this portion of the fallen trunk and you begin to appreciate its novel proportions. Compare the height of the horsemen on the ground with the diameter of the trunk.

     See encyclopædia articles on Sequoia; also J.D Whitney, The Yosemite Valley; John Muir, Our National Parks.

Yosemite Stagecoach and passengers

Yosemite Stagecoach & Turnpike Co., which served tourists arriving or leaving from the south, transported their customers through Mariposa Grove. On occasion, a stop was made so a photograph could be taken at the Fallen Monarch.

 

Stagecoach and horses on top of Fallen Monarch

During the years the U.S. Army units assigned to the Army of the Pacific were assigned to administer Yosemite National Park, several commanding officers arranged to have the troopers under their commands to be photographed at the Fallen Monarch.

Troop F, 6th Cavalry, 1899

Troop I, 15th Cavalry, 1901

Troop D, 9th Cavalry, 1904

People today who visit the Mariposa Grove still make a point to visit the giant tree—not known for its top branches brushing the sky, but for having made its bed on the earth for hundreds of years.

 It is still a popular place for a photo-shoot.

 

Of the three books set in Yosemite National Park, Anthelia Yosemite Bride includes more scenes from Mariposa Grove. It is currently on sale as an ebook and available at no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. For the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE.

 

Most of the Yosemite National Park scenes in Ardith Yosemite Bride take place in Yosemite Valley, many miles to the north of the Mariposa Grove. It is also on sale as an ebook and available at no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. For the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE.

 

Most of the Yosemite National Park scenes in Emily Yosemite Bride take place in either Yosemite Valley or on Glacier Point, which overlooks both the valley and the park toward the east. This romance is also on sale as an ebook and available at no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. For the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE.

 

 

Sources:

Mariposa Grove information plaques, Yosemite National Park

Mariposa Grove Wikipedia

Wikimedia Commons