THE FIRST of the two species of Sequoia to be seen by the white man was the redwood. The Spanish padres of Portola's Expedition probably first saw the redwoods in 1769 during their travels of exploration and colonization along the coast of what is now California.

When was sequoia discovered?

The first widely publicized discovery of the giant sequoia was in 1852, at Calaveras Big Trees State Park. One of these trees, named the Discovery Tree, was unfortunately felled in 1853. It was determined to be 1,244 years old. Its stump was so large it was used as a dance floor.

Who discovered the redwoods?

It was discovered by Hale D. Tharp in 1858. For two years previously he had used the meadows in the Giant Forest region as grazing land for his cattle. Shortly after its discovery, John Muir, the great lover of the out-of-doors, visited the grove with Tharp, explored it, and named it "Giant Forest."