Tulare County Election Tree also called the Charter Oak is historical site in

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

in Tulare County, California. The site of the Election Tree is a

California Historical 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. 410 listed on November 15, 1948. Under Tulare County Election Tree on July 10, 1852, Tulare County was founded. The election under the tree was headed by Major James D. Savage. The first county seat was in

Woodville, California Woodville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 1,740 at the 2010 census, up from 1,678 at the 2000 census. Geography Woodville is located at (36.091847, -119.200116). According to the ...

about one-half mile south of the Tulare County Election Tree. The Visalia and Woodville area near the Kaweah River delta, was known as the Four Creeks County, before the vote. A marker at the site was place there by the Tulare County Historical Society on February 5, 2011, near the

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

. Major James D. Savage (1823–1852) was an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

from 1846 to 1848. He also was part of the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. In the war he was a leader in the

California Militia The California National Guard is part of the National Guard of the United States, a dual federal-state military reserve force. The CA National Guard has three components: the CA Army National Guard, CA Air National Guard, and CA State Guard. ...

, and Mariposa Battalion that enter the

Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surroun ...

. After the war he became a trader and businessman in early California.Lafayette H. Bunnell, ''Discovery of the Yosemite, and the Indian War of 1851'' (New York, Chicago: F. H. Revell Co., 1892), 6.

References

{{Authority control California Historical Landmarks History of Tulare County, California 1852 in California 1852 establishments in California

See also

References