1,000-year-old Tunnel Tree toppled by storm

Giant sequoia also known as the Pioneer Cabin Tree.

Michael d’Estries

A tunnel was cut into the Pioneer Cabin Tree in the 1880s to compete for attention with Yosemite’s Wawona Tree. (Photo: NX1Z (talk)/Wikimedia Commons)

After more than 1,000 years of standing tall in what is now known as Calaveras Big Trees State Park in California, the iconic “Pioneer Cabin” giant sequoia is no more.

The massive tree, which until recently allowed motorists to pass through a tunnel carved into its trunk, was toppled by a powerful storm that swept through the state over the weekend. “This iconic and still living tree — the tunnel tree — enchanted many visitors,” officials for the park wrote on Facebook in announcing the news. “The storm was just too much for it.” Read more.