Hay Tree is a historic

camphor tree ''Camphora officinarum'' is a species of evergreen tree that is commonly known under the names camphor tree, camphorwood or camphor laurel. Description ''Camphora officinarum'' is native to China south of the Yangtze River, Taiwan, southern ...

in what is now downtown

Paramount, California Paramount is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 54,098, down from 55,266 at the 2000 census. Paramount is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area and is borde ...

. The Hay Tree was designated a

California Historic Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

(No. 1038) on August 8, 2003. The tree is one of the newest California Historic Landmark. At the time of planting in 1883 the tree was in the town of Hynes. The towns of Hynes and Clearwater incorporated to the town of Paramount in 1948. Paramount officially incorporated on January 30, 1957. The Hay Tree is now 50 foot high and surround by a small grass park. The Hay Tree the only reminder of the area's busy hay and

dairy industry A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a ...

. From 1930 to 1960 the towns of Hyne and Clearwater were known as the “Hay Capital” of the world. The area was also known as “The Milk Shed of Los Angeles” and “The World’s Largest Hay Market.” These titles were given for the vast

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

fields Fields may refer to: Music *Fields (band), an indie rock band formed in 2006 *Fields (progressive rock band), a progressive rock band formed in 1971 * ''Fields'' (album), an LP by Swedish-based indie rock band Junip (2010) * "Fields", a song by ...

and dairy farms in the area. There were over 25,000 milk cows in the towns of Hynes and Clearwater at this time. The price of the Hay on the

commodity market A commodity market is a market that trades in the primary economic sector rather than manufactured products, such as cocoa, fruit and sugar. Hard commodities are mined, such as gold and oil. Futures contracts are the oldest way of investin ...

was set each morning at the ''Hay Tree''. In the 1960s and 1970s the region slowly became an

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

. House and stores replaced milk production. Many of the dairy farms moved to the city of

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...

and

Chino, California Chino ( ; Spanish for "Curly") is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region. Chino is adjacent to Chino ...

. But the Hay Tree remained. The Hay Tree has both a California State Marker and a city education display. The site also has benches and wooden cow display. The Hay Tree is at the entrance to Paramount Civic center. A local artist wrote and performed a song about the tree.Landmark Adventures, The Hay Tree
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Marker

The marker reads: *''The Hay Tree: The 120-year-old, 50-foot-tall camphor is one of the few remnants of the once-thriving dairy and hay industry that dominated Southeastern Los Angeles County and Northwestern Orange County from the 1920s through the 1950s. Each morning beneath the wide-spanning branches of the Hay Tree, the price of hay was set for the region’s dairies; that price was then quoted in hay markets around the world.''

References

{{reflist California Historical Landmarks 1883 establishments in California Individual trees in California

Marker

See also

References