El Palo Alto, circa 1910

El Palo Alto is a coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) tree located in El Palo Alto Park on the banks of San Francisquito Creek in Palo Alto, California, United States. El Palo Alto, roughly translated, means the tall tree in Spanish. Download high resolution version (403x632, 32 KB)El Palo Alto, Palo Alto, California - Vintage Postcard - 1910 This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (403x632, 32 KB)El Palo Alto, Palo Alto, California - Vintage Postcard - 1910 This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... Official website: http://www. ...

El Palo Alto is 110 feet (33.5 meters) in height (compared to 134.6 feet or 41 meters in 1951), 90 inches (2.3 meters) in diameter, and has a crown spread of 40 feet (12 meters).

The tree is California Historical Landmark No. 2 (number 1 is the custom house in Monterey). It is recognized by the National Arborist Association and International Society of Arboriculture for its historical significance as "a campsite for the Portola Expedition Party of 1769"; being frequented by the Coastanoan/Ohlone Indians; and for its use as a sighting tree by surveyors plotting out El Camino Real. The tree is depicted on the city of Palo Alto's official seal and on the seal of Stanford University. California Historical Landmarks (CHLs) are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below: approved for designation by the County Board of Supervisors or the City/Town Council in whose... Looking north from Cannery Row toward Fishermans Wharf The City of Monterey is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in northern California. ... Gaspar de Portolà (circa 1717 – aft. ... 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Map of the Costanoan languages The Ohlone (formerly Costanoan) are an ethnic group whose members lived in what is now the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey Bay areas of California until after the European discovery and settling of this area. ... Surveyor at work with a leveling instrument. ... El Camino Real in California is historically the road built in 1769 by Father Junípero Serra to connect the Catholic missions in Alta California between Sonoma in the north, and (what is now Presidio Park in) San Diego in the south, during the Spanish colonial era, and now a... The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University (or simply Stanford), is a private university located approximately 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco in an [1] of Santa Clara County. ...

The tree is 1063 years old and is reportedly healthier today than 100 years ago. El Palo Alto originally had twin trunks, but a 1887 flood in the San Francisquito arroyo tore off one of the two. 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... An arroyo is a dry creek bed or gulch that fills with water either seasonally, or after a heavy rain. ...

A plaque at the base of the tree bears the following inscription:

Under this giant redwood, the Palo Alto, November 6 to 11, 1729, camped Portola and his band on the expedition that discovered San Francisco Bay, this was the assembling point for their reconnoitering parties. Here in 1774 Padre Palou erected a cross to mark the site of a proposed mission (which later was built at Santa Clara). The celebrated Pedro Font topographical map of 1776 contained the drawing of the original double trunked tree making the Palo Alto the first official living California landmark.

El Palo Alto, 2004

Download high resolution version (1022x1363, 810 KB)El Palo Alto, picture taken by Jawed Karim in August 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (1022x1363, 810 KB)El Palo Alto, picture taken by Jawed Karim in August 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

See also

• List of famous trees

The following is a partial list of famous trees. ...

External links

• City of Palo Alto's Heritage Trees
• Stanford University History: Prologue
• Historical photographs of San Francisquito Creek, including El Palo Alto