Octopus Tree
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes to this location:
- Cape Meares Lighthouse Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Cape Meares Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.48434, -123.97274
- Elevation: 380 feet
Description
The Octopus Tree is a candelabra-shaped Sitka spruce, perhaps 300 years old, that might have been fashioned by humans. Many experts believe that the tree was shaped by local Native Americans who bent branches horizontally when the tree was supple and young, and then allowed them to grow vertically. The branches could then be used to cradle large objects, such as canoes, in burial rituals. Others say that the tree was shaped by the violent forces of nature.
The Octopus Tree is 46 feet in circumference at its base. It has six "trunks", not eight.
More Links
- History of Oregon's Shortest Lighthouse And The Legend of The Octopus Tree (Salem-News.com)
- Legend of the Octopus Tree (Friends of Cape Meares Lighthouse & Wildlife Refuge)
Contributors
- bobcat (creator)