THE H.M.M.B.A.

 

In 1910 members of the H.M.M.B.A. stopped off at Big Trees Grove. And just what was the H.M.M.B.A.? Turns out, it was the Hotel Men’s Mutual Benefit Association. The H.M.M.B.A. was a life and health insurance company founded in Chicago in 1879.

 

Association member Henry J. Bohn described his fellow hotel mens’ brief visit to the grove:

 

"After luncheon at Del Monte the trains were speedily whirled by way of Santa Cruz to the Big Trees … We arrive there at 3:30, while the sun is yet high in the sky, giving our kodak friends a chance to get in their work in the sunny spots at the foot of the giant trees. The latest estimate or conclusion reached by forestry experts is that the largest of these trees are some six thousand years old. Did you ever stop to think that these are the oldest living things in the world? —nowhere else in the world is anything so ancient. Tourists come from all parts of the world to see them, and yet, strange to say, in our party are people, some who have lived in California for many years, others born in the State, who have never looked upon these wonderful giants until this minute. Our stay is short, and we go across the little mountain and again strike our train, at a point farther along the route."

 

It was common during the 19^th century to believe the redwoods lived over 5,000 years. In truth, most redwoods live from 500 to 1,000 years, with the oldest redwoods reaching just over 2,000 years. The redwood’s cousin, the giant sequoia, can reach the 3,000-year mark.

 

Recent scientific advances may provide new perspectives. In 2019, the genome of the coast redwood was successfully sequenced by scientists from the University of California at Davis and Johns Hopkins University in cooperation with the Save the Redwoods League. One area of further research involves studying the redwood root system. Coast redwoods have the amazing ability to sprout not only from seeds but also from their roots, particularly after fires or other damage. How many times, how many centuries, have the same roots sprouted towering monarchs? Perhaps in the future, the age of redwood roots will surprise us.

 

Source: 1910 Trip of the The H.M.M.B.A. to California and the Pacific Coast by George Wharton James, Press of Bolte & Braden Company: San Francisco, 1911.