Thursday, November 27, 2008

A very unusual big tree with a bear inside


I found this photo on a greeting card at an old-fashioned hardware store in rural Washington. On the front it says, "Two natives of Washington, a bear den and dwelling in a Washington Saw Log." You can see the bear inside its den on the left side of the photo. After a bit of research, I learned that the photo was once on a postcard, with the following description on the back: "This log was cut four miles from Aberdene from a spruce log 40 feet from the Butt which was 13 feet in diameter at one end and eight feet at the other. It is 40 feet long, 9 feet in diameter at one end of eight feet at the other, cut to show at the St. Louis Fair, and is now in Belle Isle Park at Detroit, Mich. There are chairs, settee and table cut inside of the log. When in St. Louis it housed two bears and a large cougar."

Do you know anything about this saw log? Maybe if you are old enough you once saw it. It's not at Belle Isle Park in Detroit anymore. If it is still around I would like to know so I can visit it someday. It reminds me of the One-Log House in the California Redwoods. That one is a little smaller, cost a dollar to go inside, and never housed any bears.

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