Chicago Stump Trailhead

The Chicago Stump Trail is a short hike to a historical site. The trail weaves through Ponderosa pines and shrubs to a verdant meadow ringed by young sequoias, red firs and azaleas.  The Chicago Stump was originally known as the General Noble Tree.  In 1892 it was cut down, carefully cut into sections and reassembled at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. The felling process was extensively documented by area photographer C.C. Curtis.  Onlookers watched as the ancient tree stood for its last moments in the Converse Basin. Sarah Delavergne Price wrote, "The saw was withdrawn, the last wedge driven. The immense tree quivered like one in agony, and with a crushing, raging, deafening sound it fell, the extreme top, with its branches, falling upon an opposite hill and breaking into a million pieces." The trail is a reminder of past decisions, and hope for the next generation of sequoias.

 Distance: 0.6 miles, out and back.