Kings Canyon National Park - The Fallen Monarch Tree

Here to visit the Grant Tree, we follow a paved loop trail which also led us to the Gamlin Cabin and this Fallen Monarch. According to Judy Volker, "…Nobody knows when this giant fell, but ever since, it served a multitude of purposes. Native Americans used it as shelter, and from 1868 to 1870, it even served as a hotel and saloon. From 1870 to 1872, two brothers actually lived in it and in 1876, the US Cavalry used it as a stable for 32 horses… The two brothers who used to live in this tree were Franco-Canadian homesteaders Thomas and Israel Gamlin. They lived in the Fallen Monarch while they were working on their cabin."