Hooker Oak was an extremely large valley oak tree (''

Quercus lobata ''Quercus lobata'', commonly called the valley oak or roble, grows into the largest of California oaks. It is endemic to California, growing in interior valleys and foothills from Siskiyou County to San Diego County. Mature specimens may attain ...

'') in

Chico, California Chico ( ; Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 census, reflecting an increase from 86,18 ...

. Amateur botanist and local socialite Annie Bidwell, whose husband had founded Chico, named the tree in 1887 after

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens Sir

Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of t ...

. It was featured in the 1938 film ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de H ...

'' starring

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

. The tree fell in 1977, and portions of it were later milled for use by local artisans.

Discovery

Upon first seeing the tree in 1872, Hooker declared the tree to be the largest of its species in the known world. Since then other valley oaks have been found of similar size. On January 7, 1958, the ''

Sacramento Bee ''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...

'' reported that in 1921 the Hooker Oak was over tall and estimated that 7,885 people could stand under its canopy assuming per person.

Death

When it fell on May 1, 1977, it was nearly a hundred feet tall (30 m) and at from the ground, in circumference. The largest branch measured from trunk to tip and the circumference of outside branches was nearly . Its age had been estimated at a thousand years, but on its demise it was found to be two trees, of 325 years each which had long ago grown into one.

Disposition

For three years after falling, the tree lay on the ground whist city leaders struggled to determine its fate. In the spring of 1980 the City of Chico commissioned Cal Oak Lumber Company to remove and reclaim sound portions of the tree at Cal Oak's Oroville hardwood plant; they were allowed to retain some of the wood as compensation. After milling the oak, Cal Oak arranged for the lumber to be dried at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

's Forest Products Laboratory. Cal Oak set up a program using local artisans as well as the work training centers for the handicapped to produce a limited number of artistically designed items from its share of the tree. Many of these were given to various institutions, which included the Royal Botanical Gardens (in honor of its namesake), the Butte County Historical Society,

Bidwell Mansion Bidwell Mansion, located at 525 Esplanade in Chico, California, was the home of General John Bidwell and Annie Bidwell from late 1868 until 1900, when Gen. Bidwell died. Annie continued to live there until her death in 1918. John Bidwell began ...

, Sacramento Valley Museum,

Butte College Butte College is a public community college in the Butte-Glenn Community College District in Chico and Orland, California. History After the passage of the 1960 Donahoe Act, the voters of Butte County created a local community college ...

California State University, Chico California State University, Chico, or commonly, Chico State, is a public university in Chico, California. Founded in 1887, it is the second oldest campus in the California State University system. As of the fall 2020 semester, the university had ...

, and the University of California at Berkeley. The Royal Botanical Gardens also received acorns from the original tree in 1981 and planted them in their gardens. Chico Fire Chief Elmer Brouillard made gavels and plaques from the wood for the Chico City Council.

Characteristics

Personnel at both Cal Oak and University of California Berkeley Forestry Lab became intrigued with the lumber. The wood turned out to be as remarkable as was the tree. In order to support its immense crown, the tree grew an abnormal portion of support wood on the upper side of its limbs and stems. This type wood is known as "tension wood" and helped provide the tree with an unbelievable high density: .88

specific gravity Relative density, or specific gravity, is the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for liquids is nearly always measured with respect to water (molecule), wa ...

, roughly 50% heavier than surrounding oaks. This together with other special characteristics, provided the wood with its unique grain and character, and the tree with its longevity.

In popular culture

The gavel used at City Council meetings by the mayor of Chico was made from the Hooker Oak by Chico Fire Chief Elmer Brouillard. The public benches in the lobby of the Chico City Council Chambers were made out of Hooker Oak wood by local artist Paul Atkins. The Ceremonial Mace, which is held by the head of the platform party procession during the formal Commencement Ceremonies at Chico State, contains Hooker Oak wood. The mace made its debut on May 3, 2017, during the inauguration of Chico State's first female president, Gayle E. Hutchinson. The Hooker Oak was featured Warner Brothers Studio's film ''

'' (1938).

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

forms his outlaw band beside the tree (called the "Gallows Oak" in the film). The local branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, an international non-profit focusing on pre-17th Century history, is named "The Barony of Rivenoak" after the Hooker Oak. A wood from the tree appears in their ceremonial coronet. The location of the tree is registered as 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 ...

and can be found in

Bidwell Park Bidwell Park is a Urban park, municipal park located in Chico, California. The park was established July 10, 1905, through the donation by Annie Bidwell, widow of Chico's founder, John Bidwell, of approximately of land to the City of Chico. Since ...

. The playground erected on the site of the great tree was named in honor of Chico Fire Chief, Elmer Brouillard. A booklet, "The History of the Hooker Oak" was written by Debra Moon for the City Of Chico Bidwell Park Centennial Hooker Oak Bench Project and printed in July 2005.

References