Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Sequoia, Kings Canyon National Parks Removing Mentions of Robert E. Lee
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 5 years ago on
June 23, 2020

Share

The Robert E. Lee Tree is unmarked, without a sign to designate it by name, in Kings Canyon National Park’s Grant Grove.

But the General Lee Tree in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park has a sign at its base.

Now, the names of these trees may only live as part of the park’s history.

“We will review our printed materials, exhibits, website, and other media to remove any references to Robert E. Lee,” Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks public affairs director Sintia Kawasaki-Yee tells GV Wire℠ by email. “The fact that these trees carry the name Robert E. Lee may persist as part of the park’s history but will not be represented in any current media.”

“We will review our printed materials, exhibits, website, and other media to remove any references to Robert E. Lee.” — Sintia Kawasaki-Yee, Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks public affairs director

Meanwhile, in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, statues of Lee — commander of the Confederate States Army during the Civil War — are coming down throughout the country.

Robert E. Lee Tree

The 284-foot tall Robert E. Lee is the 11th largest tree in the world. The giant sequoia is thought to have been named by Richard Field, a southern lieutenant circa 1875 before the park’s formation.

General Lee Tree

The General Lee is believed to have been named around 1901 by John Broder, an early-day concessioner. There is a file in the park archives documenting correspondence between the park and the Daughters of the Confederacy, which lead to the dedication of the sign in 1937.

The park service is trying to figure out what to do with a sign at the General Lee tree and wants to hear public opinion before deciding whether to remove it, Kawasaki-Yee said.

There is also a redwood tree named for Lee in Yosemite National Park.

The Sherman and Grant Trees

The two most famous trees in Kings Canyon and Sequoia are named after Union generals: the General Sherman and the General Grant. Both of those prominent Civil War figures have controversies in their past, too.

Ulysses S. Grant, who served two terms as president between 1869 and 1877, was the last president to own a slave. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman refused to employ Black troops in his armies. And, Sherman advocated for the “extermination of (Sioux) men, women, and children” as commander of the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars.

Moving Away From Naming Trees

The National Park Service has moved away from naming individual trees. Memorials are allowed in national parks only when Congress has specifically authorized them or there is a compelling justification for the recognition.

To select a new name for the Robert E. Lee Tree would require an act of Congress or approval by the National Park Service director.

 

DON'T MISS

Elon Musk Reclaims Top Spot on Forbes’ Billionaires List

DON'T MISS

California Just Blew Its First Deadline for Voter-Approved Healthcare Measure

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Halts Dozens of Research Grants at Princeton University

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Sheriff’s Pilot Takes His Last Flight as He Retires After 31 Years of Service

DON'T MISS

A Palestinian From the West Bank Is First Detainee Under 18 to Die in Israeli Prison, Officials Say

DON'T MISS

How Safe Is It to Walk to School? Fresno County Wants to Find Out

DON'T MISS

Baseball Is Back! How to Listen to Your MLB Favorites and the Grizzlies

DON'T MISS

Trump Says He’s Settled on a Tariff Plan That Is Set to Take Effect Wednesday

DON'T MISS

Auto Sales Surged in Anticipation of Trump’s Tariffs

DON'T MISS

Raid Or Rumor? Reports Of Immigrations Sweeps Are Warping Life In CA’s Central Valley

UP NEXT

California Just Blew Its First Deadline for Voter-Approved Healthcare Measure

UP NEXT

Lakers Hold Off Rockets With 6 3-Pointers Apiece From Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent

UP NEXT

Athletics Bat Boy Stewart Thalblum Takes Down Drone in Left Field

UP NEXT

NFL Postpones Tush Push Decision but Passes Other Rule Changes, AP Source Says

UP NEXT

March Madness: It’s South Carolina vs. Texas and UCLA vs. UConn in Women’s Final Four

UP NEXT

Major Layoffs Begin at Health Agencies That Track Disease and Regulate Food

UP NEXT

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

UP NEXT

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

UP NEXT

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

UP NEXT

Silver Fire Grows to 1,250 Acres, Threatens Homes in Inyo County

Fresno County Sheriff’s Pilot Takes His Last Flight as He Retires After 31 Years of Service

6 hours ago

A Palestinian From the West Bank Is First Detainee Under 18 to Die in Israeli Prison, Officials Say

7 hours ago

How Safe Is It to Walk to School? Fresno County Wants to Find Out

7 hours ago

Baseball Is Back! How to Listen to Your MLB Favorites and the Grizzlies

8 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Settled on a Tariff Plan That Is Set to Take Effect Wednesday

8 hours ago

Auto Sales Surged in Anticipation of Trump’s Tariffs

8 hours ago

Raid Or Rumor? Reports Of Immigrations Sweeps Are Warping Life In CA’s Central Valley

8 hours ago

House Speaker Johnson Fails to Squash a Proxy Voting Effort From New Moms in Congress

9 hours ago

UN Agency Closes Its Remaining Gaza Bakeries as Food Supplies Dwindle Under Israeli Blockade

9 hours ago

Hooters Goes Bust and Files for Bankruptcy Protection

9 hours ago

Elon Musk Reclaims Top Spot on Forbes’ Billionaires List

Elon Musk has reclaimed his position as the world’s wealthiest individual, according to Forbes’ 39th annual World’s Billio...

4 hours ago

4 hours ago

Elon Musk Reclaims Top Spot on Forbes’ Billionaires List

6 hours ago

California Just Blew Its First Deadline for Voter-Approved Healthcare Measure

Nassau Hall at Princeton University is in Princeton, N.J., Oct. 8, 2024. (AP File)
6 hours ago

Trump Administration Halts Dozens of Research Grants at Princeton University

After 31 years of service, Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy IV and Pilot Michael Sill is retiring, having logged over 10,000 flight hours.
6 hours ago

Fresno County Sheriff’s Pilot Takes His Last Flight as He Retires After 31 Years of Service

Khalid Ahmad holds a poster of his 17-year-old son, Waleed, who died in an Israeli prison, that reads in Arabic, "The hero prisoner Martyr, mercy and eternity for our righteous Martyrs," in the West Bank town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP/Nasser Nasser)
7 hours ago

A Palestinian From the West Bank Is First Detainee Under 18 to Die in Israeli Prison, Officials Say

7 hours ago

How Safe Is It to Walk to School? Fresno County Wants to Find Out

8 hours ago

Baseball Is Back! How to Listen to Your MLB Favorites and the Grizzlies

Vehicles at an Audi showroom in Miami, March 29, 2025. President Donald Trump has said that tariffs would encourage auto companies and their suppliers to move to the U.S. (Saul Martinez/The New York Times)
8 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Settled on a Tariff Plan That Is Set to Take Effect Wednesday

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend