Programs

El Palo Alto: A Fresh Look at the Unsolved Mysteries of the Tall Tree

Sunday, October 6, 2024
2:00 - 4:00 pm

Palo Alto Art Center
1313 Newell Road
Palo Alto

Join us on Sunday, October 6th for the first program of our new season when PAHA member Jeff Watt will unravel some of the mysteries around Palo Alto's famed Tall Tree.

The towering redwood tree we know today as El Palo Alto was first documented by Spanish explorers in the 1700s and has been a landmark of the valley for centuries. Despite the significance to our local history, there are a number of unsolved mysteries about the tall tree that have puzzled historians for many years.

For example:
• Is El Palo Alto, once twin redwoods, really the same towering tree seen by the Spanish explorers?
• Did Gaspar de Portola and his expedition really camp under the tall tree in 1769?
• When exactly did one of the redwood twins fall?
• And when did the tree get its name "Palo Alto"?

The availability of indexed and searchable online historical documents, along with recent translations of long overlooked diaries of the Spanish explorers, and research on the works of the great 19th century landscape photographer Carleton Watkins, have all created a treasure trove of previously unknown information about the Tall Tree mysteries. The result is significant new insight into these mysteries and some surprising conclusions.

Our speaker, Jeff Watt graduated from Stanford University with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and has lived in Palo Alto and the surrounding area for over 40 years. He has been exploring the mysteries of local history for over a decade.

Single “Palo Alto” tree photographed by W.H. Myrick ca. 1890

Reserve the following dates for upcoming PAHA programs:
• October 6, 2024
• December 1, 2024
• February 2, 2025
• March 2, 2025
• May 4, 2025

Be sure to check the website for updates.