Hollow Tree

The Hollow Tree in Vancouver's Stanley Park is the most photographed tree in western Canada by tourists. In the early 1900's pictures were taken by people trying to fit their horse and carrage inside the tree and posing for the camera.

The tree is estimated to be over a thousand years old. Native legends speak of a great tree in the west part of now present day Stanley Park. The Hollow Tree is one of Vancouver's oldest and most famous landmarks, a rare surviving example of the enormous trees that originally drew the first group of non-Native people to settle in Vancouver in the 1860s. Workers from far away came to the west coast to chop down the biggest tree's possible. Today only a few ancient majestic tree's stand on the west coast.

When the city was of Vancouver was created in the late 1880's from a village called Granville. The council declared Stanley Park as its first Park. A road was built to circle the hollow tree so tourists could see the wonders of this tree.

The tree today still stands, but has been chopped down from its original size due to it being a hazard to citizens. This is because in 2006 storms caused the tree to lean 11degrees and the pavement surrounding it had degraded its health. Fortunately future generations will still get to see one of the great historical landmarks of Vancouver.