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1941 2019. The Chandelier Tree in Drive-Thru Tree Park [1] is a 276-foot (84 m) tall coast redwood tree in Leggett, California with a 6-foot-wide (1.8 m) by 6-foot-9-inch-high (2.06 m) hole [2] cut through its base to allow a car to drive through.
The following year, a crew cut an 8-foot (2.4 m) tall, 17-foot (5.2 m) wide tunnel through the trunk, making the road passable again. [36] There are three coast redwood trees that can be driven through near US 101 in northern California, namely: Klamath Tour Thru Tree; Shrine Drive-Thru Tree; and Chandelier Tree. [36]
The Chandelier Tree, also known as the Drive-Thru Tree, is a 315-foot-tall coast redwood located in Leggett, California. Carved in 1937, its 6-foot-wide tunnel allows vehicles to pass through, making it a popular roadside attraction at the privately owned Drive-Thru Tree Park. [6] Shrine Drive-Thru Tree: Myers Flat: Sequoia sempervirens
Common names include coast redwood, coastal redwood and California redwood. It is an evergreen , long-lived, monoecious tree living 1,200–2,200 years or more. [ 4 ] This species includes the tallest living trees on Earth, reaching up to 115.9 m (380.1 ft) in height (without the roots ) and up to 8.9 m (29 ft) in diameter at breast height .
The tunnel allowed tourists to drive, bike, or walk through the tree. The tunneling inflicted severe damage to the health and strength of the trees. The tunnels were cut to stimulate automobile tourism. Because of the damaging effects of carving through trees, the practice of creating tunnel trees has long passed.
According to the National Park Service, "In 1929, Clara W. Stout, widow of lumberman Frank D. Stout, donated this tract of old-growth redwood forest to Save the Redwoods League."
Redwood has a straight grain, making planks easy to cut. Because redwood can defy the weather and does not warp, it became a valuable commodity. [25] Jenner says a good team of two men could saw through a redwood tree at about a foot per hour with a crosscut saw, their preferred tool until after World War II. [26]
One of the groves, totaling 5,000 acres (2,000 ha), includes the world's largest (not tallest) coast redwood, which measures 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter and 340 feet (100 m) tall. [4] The Smith River, which flows through the park, is home to rainbow trout and salmon, black bears, black-tailed deer, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons and other mammals.