In 1853, after this monstrous sequoia had become famous as one of the biggest trees in the world, a group of forward-thinking local businessmen cut it down.
It was to be a traveling exhibit, but the show failed miserably.
Scientists estimate that if the Big Stump had not been cut, today would be the largest living thing on earth (excluding giant fungi, of course). Park visitors can visit and stand on the big stump, once used for local dances. We visited this stump, and it makes a better story than attraction.
