Калифорниядағы Nelder Grove алып секвойя тоғайы

Giant sequoia grove in Madera County, California, United States

Nelder Grove, located in the western Sierra Nevada within the Sierra National Forest in Madera County, California, is a Giant sequoia grove that was formerly known as Fresno Grove. The grove is a tract containing 54 mature Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) trees, the largest concentration of giant sequoias in the Sierra National Forest. The grove also contains several historical points of interest, including pioneer cabins and giant sequoia stumps left by 19th century loggers. Before European Americans arrived, there were 400 mature sequoias in Nelder Grove, but the population has seen several steep declines since then.

The Nelder Grove has a rich history of human occupation dating back as far as 15,000 years ago The Mono and Miwok tribes seasonally occupied the area, using it as a hub for their trans Sierra journeys. Other tribes, including the Dumma, Heuchi, Chuckchansi, Chowchillas, Paiute, Kechayi, and Dalinchi, also traversed the area. Evidence of their presence can be found throughout the grove, including mortar holes used for grinding acorns into flour.

In 1858, conservationist Galen Clark made the formal discovery of the Nelder Grove. At the time, he named it Fresno Grove, as it was part of Fresno County and included the headwaters of the Fresno River. However, a 1957 discovery of a soldier's diary revealed that a small detachment of the Mariposa Battalion had passed through the grove during the Mariposa War in 1851. The grove is now named for John A. Nelder, known as the "Hermit of the Fresno Forest" by John Muir. Nelder, who came to California during the 1849 gold rush, filed a homestead claim for 165 acres within the grove in 1874 and built a cabin near its largest tree the following year. Muir wrote about Nelder and the grove for The Atlantic Monthly in 1878, later including it in his book Our National Parks. Since '49 he had wandered over most of the Sierra, sinking innumerable prospect holes like a sailor making soundings, digging new channels for streams, sifting gold sprinkled boulder and gravel beds with unquenchable energy, life's noon the meanwhile passing unnoticed into late afternoon shadows. Then, health and gold gone, the game played and lost, like a wounded deer creeping into this forest solitude, he awaits the sundown call. John Nelder was killed in 1889 when a fire consumed his cabin. His son inherited his estate and deeded it to the Madera Flume and Trading Company in 1892.

Nelder Grove is relatively inaccessible compared to the nearby Mariposa Grove, which is easily reached by paved roads and shuttle buses. Visitors can reach Nelder Grove, under favorable conditions, within two hours from the Fresno area by traveling north, or from Yosemite National Park by traveling south on Highway 41 to Road 632, also known as Sky Ranch Road. However, the dirt road leading into the grove can be challenging, with muddy and rutted conditions, and is often blocked by deep snow in the winter months.

The Shadow of the Giants National Recreation Trail is a nature trail located in the Nelder Grove of giant sequoias. It was built in 1965 and officially designated as a National Recreation Trail in 1978. However, in 2015, the trail's informational panels, bridges, and other improvements were destroyed by the Railroad Fire. As of 2022, the trail remains closed and is overgrown with brush. Additionally, there is a Sierra National Forest campground located at the Nelder Grove which serves as a spot for camping and outdoor activities.

The Nelder Grove interpretive center has on display a number of artifacts from the area's logging days, including two restored cabins and replicas of cross log and two pole log chutes. These cabins were originally constructed in the late 1800s by pioneers at nearby Bildeo Meadow, and were moved to Nelder Grove in the 1980s as part of an effort funded by the National Historic Preservation Act. They are among the oldest cabins in the Sierra National Forest.