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History : The Tree | ||
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El Palo Alto In November of 1769, Gaspar de Portola and his party camped under a towering double redwood tree located on the bank of the San Francisquito Creek (map). From this campsite his reconnoitering parties discovered and explored San Francisco Bay. The old redwood, at well over 100 feet high, was a landmark visible for miles and guided them safely back to camp. Many years ago floodwaters tore off one of the twin trunks but the remaining trunk still stands, its age estimated at more than a thousand years. In 1876, California Governor Leland Stanford purchased 650 acres of El Rancho San Francisquito for a country home and his famous Palo Alto Stock Farm for trotting horses. This property became Stanford University. The Palo Alto name was later adopted by the city that grew up beside the University. El Palo Alto lives on, too, as the centerpiece in the Stanford University seal, and one of the Block "S" emblems. It was placed there not only because of its historical significance but also because it symbolizes the strength, independence, and enduring qualities that a great university must possess. |
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 Two-Trunk Palo Alto (viewed facing south), 1883 |
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 One-Trunk Palo Alto (viewed facing north), 1892. The second trunk was lost in a storm in 1885. |
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 El Palo Alto, 2003 Photographer: Linda Cicero |
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