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to carry water to a proposed power plant project. Once again no development or logging took place, and the Mt. Whitney company sold the project, and with it the land and trees, in 1923 to the San
Joaquin Light and Power Company. The president of San Joaquin Light and Power, Allan C. Balch, eventually
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The area once supported several lumber mills, and even though many of the larger trees in the surrounding forest were logged, the trees at Balch Park were spared due to the efforts of conservation minded individuals, some of whom hoped to save the trees for future generations, and some of whom looked
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Three large ponds within the park are popular fishing destinations, and are among some of the better known attractions in the area. One of these ponds, the
Hedrick pond near the north edge of the park, was previously associated with an old lumber mill, and two others nearer the museum were dammed by
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John J. Doyle in the mid-1880s acquired a 160 acres (64.7 ha) parcel in the area that corresponds today to Balch Park. Doyle established a resort that he called "Summer Home", with the intent of selling up to 125 lots to be developed with cabins. However, the lot sales never took place, and
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holes that are known to be man-made, some argue a man-made origin for the bathtubs also, whereas others insist that the bathtubs are natural features resulting from complex erosion processes. Some have even suggested that the bathtubs were created by alien visitors from outer space.
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to profit from the trees as tourist attractions. A small museum near the entrance to the park has exhibits dedicated to the logging history of the area, and a nature trail that begins at the museum winds through several of the larger trees.
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was set up in 1946, there was an attempt to transfer the park to State control. However, this was prevented by the terms of the original donation, and Balch Park today remains under control of Tulare County.
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decided against logging the trees and donated the property in 1930 to Tulare County for a park to be named after him and his wife. After the
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bedrock near the ponds. These features have a controversial origin. Because they generally are closely associated with Indian
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The park also has some unique archaeological sites including the "Indian
Bathtubs", which are large basins in the
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The Men of
Mammoth Forest: A Hundred-year History of a Sequoia Forest and its People in Tulare County, California
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Doyle sold out in 1906 to the Mt. Whitney Power
Company, which had plans to log the site for lumber to build a
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197:, which is the 33rd largest Sequoia in the world and the largest tree in Balch Park. There is also the
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440:"Recent archaeological and historical investigations within California's demonstration forests"
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The
History of A Giant Sequoia Forest: The Story of Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest
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The
History of A Giant Sequoia Forest: The Story of Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest
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470:"CAL FIRE Archaeology Program: Rock Basins in Mt. Home State Forest and Immediate Vicinity"
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449:. Sacramento, California: California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection: 1–15
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338:(2nd ed.). Three Rivers, California: Sequoia Natural History Association.
193:. Two of the more impressive trees in the park are the Lady Alice Tree and the
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417:. Otter Veterinary Services, Incorporated. pp. 14, 60–61, 179–180.
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Cal Fire (California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection)
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trees. It also has archaeological sites relating to the early
366:. Edwards Brothers Printers, Inc. pp. 101–102, 118–119.
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the park authority in 1958 and made to resemble mill ponds.
498:. Otter Veterinary Services, Incorporated. pp. 11–67.
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of the area, and to the late 19th- and early 20th-century
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Carved wooden sign at the entrance to Balch County Park.
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is one of the best known features of Balch County Park.
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trees that rivals the better known groves of nearby
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468:Dulitz, David - Forest Manager (August 7, 2000).
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173:that cut down many of the big trees in the area.
389:"Balch Park: So much history in the mountains"
205:, the 7th largest tree in the world, and the
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494:Otter, Floyd L. & Dulitz, David (2007).
413:Otter, Floyd L. & Dulitz, David (2007).
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334:Flint, Wendell D. & Law, Mike (2002).
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393:The Porterville Recorder (online edition)
290:United States Department of the Interior
245:Mountain Home State Demonstration Forest
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543:Geography of Tulare County, California
181:Balch Park is known for its grove of
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281:Geographic Names Information System
209:, which is the 20th largest tree.
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387:Winckel, Henry (July 25, 2000).
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286:United States Geological Survey
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191:Kings Canyon National Park
310:"The Story of Balch Park"
161:that features a grove of
119:Tulare County, California
54:Tulare County, California
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447:California Forestry Note
362:Otter, Floyd L. (1963).
336:To Find the Biggest Tree
110:160 acres (64.7 ha)
91:36.220404°N 118.679318°W
523:The Story of Balch Park
438:Foster, Daniel (1991).
314:Tulare County Treasures
155:Sierra Nevada mountains
64:Springville, California
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96:36.220404; -118.679318
187:Sequoia National Park
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115:Governing body
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195:Allen Russell Tree
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276:"Balch Park"
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203:Genesis Tree
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479:17 November
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398:16 November
177:Description
151:county park
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82:118°40′46″W
70:Coordinates
373:0961445912
345:1878441094
319:19 October
262:References
199:Hollow Log
159:California
147:Balch Park
140:Hollow Log
79:36°13′13″N
19:Balch Park
207:Adam Tree
537:Category
252:See also
50:Location
233:History
222:granite
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443:(PDF)
240:flume
149:is a
500:ISBN
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321:2013
189:and
138:The
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
