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The Giant petrified redwood, Calistoga, CA, 1942

Subject
Forests & Trees
Card type
Real photo
Date
c. 1942 (Linen)
Front of The Giant petrified redwood, Calistoga, CA, 1942, c. 1942 real photo postcard
Front
Back of The Giant petrified redwood, Calistoga, CA, 1942, c. 1942 real photo postcard
Back

About this postcard

A long petrified redwood trunk known as "The Giant" lies in a shallow trench behind a low fence, with rocky ground around it. The trunk measures 56 feet long and 8 feet in diameter. It is part of the Petrified Forest on the Santa Rosa-Calistoga Road, about 70 miles north of San Francisco, 11 miles from Santa Rosa, and 5 miles from Calistoga. The forest is a roadside attraction where redwood trunks buried by volcanic ash millions of years ago were preserved as stone. The card's sender, a soldier stationed in Phoenix, told Mary he kept a piece of the tree in his locker, a small personal link to the roadside curiosity.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pen

Dear Mary I have a part of this tree in my locker & will save it for you. How is the rest of the family getting along Your far away Sweetheart Pete

PublisherStanley A. Piltz Company
Giant - 56 Ft. long - 8 Ft. dia. Petrified forest Santa Rosa-Calistoga Road. 70 Miles north of S.F. "THE GIANT" petrified redwood, 56 feet long, 8 feet diameter. Buried millions of years ago by volcanic ac- tion, found in the PETRIFIED FOREST 70 miles north of San Francisco 11 miles from Santa Rosa 5 miles from Calistoga
PostmarkedPhoenix, AZ, May 28, 1942, 11:30
Addressed to
Mary Morella

110 North Market Mount Carmel, PA

FromPete O. Sekan, Co. A 70th Q M Bn E M', Phoenix, AZ

Postcard record

Postmarked, Phoenix, AZ
PublisherStanley A. Piltz Company
Series6001
ConditionVery good
Place addressedMary Morella, 110 North Market, Mount Carmel, PA
Place depictedPetrified Forest, Calistoga, CA
Place mentionedSanta Rosa, CA
Place mentionedCalistoga, CA
Place mentionedSan Francisco, CA
PublisherStanley A. Piltz Company, San Francisco, CA
Place sent fromPete O. Sekan, Co. A 70th Q M Bn E M', Phoenix, AZ
NotesWhite border; black-and-white photograph; printed caption in white; no linen texture. Postmark: PHOENIX ARIZ. MAY 28 1942 11:30 AM. Divided-back WWII-era card with white border; halftone/photo texture; sent free as U.S. Army mail, no stamp affixed. Light soiling and edge wear.

Cite this card

The Giant petrified redwood, Calistoga, CA, 1942, postcard, c. 1942. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/the-giant-petrified-redwood-calistoga-ca-1942. Accessed November 2, 2026.