IN HONOR OF OUR VETERANS

In February 1903 Santa Cruz was paid a visit by General Thomas J. Stewart, Commander-in-Chief of the veterans' organization, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). On February 26^th the General was met by a large delegation of Grand Army men and ladies of the Women’s Relief Corps and Ladies of the GAR. The group boarded the narrow-gauge railroad for a journey up to the Big Trees for a tree dedication.

The first GAR Tree located on Cowell's Big Trees - Author's Personal Collection

The GAR was an organization of Union veterans of the Civil War. The first post was chartered in Decatur, Illinois, on April 6, 1866. Posts were established throughout the country and membership reached its peak in 1890 with over 400,000 members. The GAR was based upon three ideals: fraternity, charity, and loyalty. They served as a benefit association which raised funds for the relief of needy veterans, widows, and orphans. Their funds were used for medical, burial, housing and food expenses. The GAR was active in promoting soldiers' homes which were later transferred to the federal government. They were also active in soliciting funds for the establishment of Union monuments and memorials and the preservation of Civil War battlefields. 

The GAR's principal legacy was the annual observance of Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day. The commemoration began when General John A. Logan, Commander-in-Chief of the GAR, requested members of all posts to decorate the graves of their fallen comrades with flowers on May 30, 1868. This idea came from his wife, who had seen Confederate graves decorated by Southern women in Virginia. In 1971 Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be observed annually on the last Monday in May.

The second GAR Tree located at Big Trees Grove - Author's Personal Collection

Within a year of the tree dedication the GAR announced that a change would need to be made regarding their namesake redwood. The tree in question was "not in the enclosure, but is upon ground belonging to the estate of a man [Henry Cowell] who died a few days ago and who had intended to cut down the trees for timber. Whether the heirs have the same intention is not disclosed." In 1904 a suggestion was made that another tree be selected on the land owned by Mr. Welch. There are postcards which show this second GAR Tree at Big Trees Grove, but its exact location remains uncertain.

Sources: “General Stewart Visits Santa Cruz,” San Francisco Call, February 27, 1903; Journal of the Thirty-Eight National Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, Boston, Massachusetts, August 17-18, 1904; “The Grand Army of the Republic and Kindred Societies,” Bibliographies and Guides, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/rr/main/gar/garintro.html.

.