General Grant Tree

1867

Named in 1867, the second largest giant sequoia in the world

The tree was named in 1867 after Ulysses S. Grant, the Union Army general who became the 18th President of the United States. It is the second largest giant sequoia in the world after the General Sherman Tree. Once thought to be well over 2,000 years old, it is now estimated at closer to 1,650.

1,650years old, by recent estimates

1880

Four acres were set aside in 1880, and a park in 1890

In 1880 the federal government withdrew four acres of land around the tree from sale. On October 1, 1890, Congress passed a bill that established General Grant National Park, along with Yosemite and Sequoia national parks. It came after pressure from townspeople and from conservationists such as John Muir.

1926

A president named it the Nation's Christmas Tree in 1926

President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed it the Nation's Christmas Tree on April 28, 1926. Because of its huge base, it was thought to be the largest tree in the world until 1931, when the first precise measurements showed the General Sherman Tree was slightly larger.

1956

The only living object declared a National Shrine

On March 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared the tree a National Shrine, a memorial to those who died in war. It is the only living object to be so declared.