![]() ![]() Whitney Company today, its facilities are part of the Pacific Gas and Electric system.)Īllan Balch and his wife Janet purchased the property with the express intent that it be given to the County of Tulare as a public park, and that donation was finalized in December 1930. (San Joaquin Light and Power had taken over the Tule River power plant project from the Mt. Balch of Los Angeles, president of the San Joaquin Light and Power Company. Eventually it was purchased privately in 1923 by Allan C. Whitney Company cancelled its logging plans and held on to the property. A major figure in the power company was engineer John Hays Hammond, and it was Hammond’s wife, Natalie Harris Hammond, who, after visiting the property, convinced her husband not to allow the harvesting of the 200 large sequoias on the site. ![]() (Just a few years earlier the company had done the same thing on the Kaweah River, where it cut sequoias at Atwell’s Mill to build a flume to provide water to Kaweah Power Plant Number One.) This corporation, which was developing hydroelectric facilities on the Tule River, intended to cut the sequoias and use the lumber to build a flume to carry water to a new power plant. The lot sales never happened, however, and Doyle maintained control of the entire tract until he finally sold it in 1906 to the Mt. Doyle hoped to sell up to 125 lots to families seeking relief from the summer heat of the San Joaquin Valley. He intended to develop the property, which he called “Summer Home,” as a mountain resort. Taking advantage of the generous land sales statutes of the times, Doyle took control of the 160 acres of sequoias in the middle 1880s. The story goes back to the late 19th century and a pioneer entrepreneur named John Doyle. How is it that Tulare County came to protect this beautiful piece of land? But nestled amongst these vast and famous places is a unit of the Tulare County park system – Balch Park. Most of these trees can be found in two large federal reservations – Sequoia National Park and the Giant Sequoia National Monument, which is a part of the Sequoia National Forest. ![]() T he largest trees in the world grow in the mountains that dominate the eastern half of Tulare County. Tweed (Heyday, 2016)ĭirections: Map and directions are at the bottom of this page. ![]() Otter, 1963 (see Save the Redwoods League - Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest)Ĥ) King Sequoia: The Tree That Inspired a Nation, Created Our National Park System, and Changed the Way We Think about Nature by William C. Otter and David Dulitz, 2007 (see Save the Redwoods League - Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest)ģ) The Men of Mammoth Forest: A Hundred-year History of a Sequoia Forest and its People in Tulare County, California by Floyd L. Sequoia National Forest & Wishon Canyon including Balch Parkīooks: 1) A Guide to the Sequoia Groves of Californiaby Dwight Willard (Yosemite Association, 2000)Ģ) The History of A Giant Sequoia Forest: the Story of Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest by Floyd L. Phone 55 for current information when the park is open (approximately mid-May to mid-November, depending on weather). Site Steward: Tulare County Parks and Recreation, 55. Open: approximately mid-May to mid-November, depending on weather Īctivities: birdwatching, camping (first come, first served, no reservations), dog walking (on leash scoop poop) fishing (license required), hiking, historic sites, museum, photography, rock climbing, wildlife viewing Balch Park is completely contained within Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest. Environment: Mountains, lakes, giant sequoias, mixed oak and conifer forests at over 6000' elevation. ![]()
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