POSTMAN'S HOLIDAY - A Walk through the Woods

In 1897 members of the National Association of Letter Carriers took time out from their convention in San Francisco to make a special side trip to Big Trees Grove.

“Sunday, September 12^th, was the red letter day of the entire journey. At 7:30 A.M. the Delegates boarded two sections of a train bound for Santa Cruz, about eighty miles down the coast. About half way down we stopped at Big Trees, and the place is well named.  Here the giant redwood trees rear themselves to a height of from two hundred and fifty to three hundred feet, some of them decayed at the bottom, leaving hollows that would comfortably house a very large family, and these hollow places were literally covered with the cards of former visitors, a collection that we very perceptibly increased by the addition of our pasteboards."

"The park appears to be used for picnics, as at the further end there is a gate with the legend ‘Admission 25 cents,’ and in the centre of the park is an old weather worn dancing platform. The San Francisco Letter Carriers’ Band, which accompanied us, rendered several selections of dance music in a very creditable manner. When the band began to play the floor was soon covered with couples …"

"Many cards were tacked upon the inside of the trunks, especially the one named ‘General Fremont,’ where at one time thirty-three Delegates stood upright, and where it is reported General Fremont camped on his journey across the plains – hence, its name. Souvenirs in the shape of napkin rings, made from the bark of those trees and pieces of wood chopped off, to be carried home, polished and retained as a memento from the fruit-laden fields and sky-scrapping trees ..."

Please remember that taking any part of a redwood or any other natural item out of the park is strictly prohibited.  Thank you.

Postal Record - A Journal for Postal Employees (National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO), November 20, 1897