The giant sequoia known as the Pioneer Cabin and famed for the tunnel cut through its base in the 1880s fell during the powerful winter storm that dumped rain and snow on California, says the Los Angeles Times. The tunnel was wide enough and tall enough for cars to drive through, although in recent years it was limited to pedestrians.
“The storm was just too much for it,” said the Calaveras Big Trees Association. The Pioneer Cabin was among giant sequoias standing as tall as 250 feet in Calaveras Big Trees State Park in the middle elevations of the Sierra Nevada about 90 miles east-southeast of Sacramento, Calif. “The giant sequoias in the state park — the tallest of which is 250 feet — are estimated to be more than 1,000 years old,” the Times said.