'Nature Singer' drove a camper made from a redwood
Charlie Kellogg was a vaudeville star and an
early conservationist who called attention to our vanishing forests
with a 3,000-year-old redwood on wheels.
Tue, Apr 14, 2015 at 09:15 AM
Charles
'The Nature Singer' Kellogg and his Travel Log on the road, educating
America about the giant redwoods. (Photo: Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Museum)
Charles “The Nature Singer” Kellogg’s
Travel Log stands as one of the oddest vehicles ever put on four wheels.
Built in 1917, it’s a motor home
fashioned from a single, hollowed-out redwood log. It toured the
country with its conservationist owner at the wheel, calling attention
not only to the size of these majestic trees, but to their rapid destruction at the hands of man.
Kellogg talking to the birds in his beloved northern California woods. (Photo: Humboldt Redwoods State Park Museum)
Kellogg was ahead of his time
as a forest preservationist. He warned, “ …. At the present rate of
destruction there will not be a single stand of redwood in the whole
state [of California] within 100 years.” Teddy Roosevelt was similarly
concerned about deforestation; that’s why our network of national
forests were created.
Kellogg, the kind of passionate Renaissance man they bred back then —
vegetarian, hiker, artist, lecturer — was best known for his ability to
sing like a bird. In this period before television, he gave 3,000 live
performances and recorded widely for Victor Records (classical pieces as
well as bird songs). Born with an “unusual larynx,” Kellogg had a
12-octave vocal range, and could sing so high it was inaudible to human
ears. Birds perked up, though. And he claimed he could put out fires
with his voice alone.
Listen to Kellogg imitating our feathered friends here.
Charles KELLOGG ~ THE BIRD CHORUS (1919) - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPONVsr0ePg
Aug 11, 2008 - Uploaded by CurzonRoad
Charles KELLOGG: (c. 1880 - 04 September 1949) Known for his bird calls / bird voices, Kellogg performed ...
The Travel Log, come to rest at the Humboldt Redwoods State Park Museum. (Photo: www.rvtravel.com)
The Travel Log was born of Kellogg’s desire to incorporate a “save
the trees” message into his vaudeville act. The donor tree, an estimated
4,800 years old, was a fallen specimen from a northern California stand
owned by a friend. Hollowing out the log, which was 11 feet in
diameter, was an adventure in itself. The hard wood was practically
impervious to ordinary saws.
The Travel Log from behind. The first step was a doozy. (Photo: www.rvtravel.com)
A Nash Quad, a tough truck made famous by its duty in World War I,
was donated by fellow conservationist Charles Nash. Even hollowed out
and leached of sap, the log weighed something like eight tons. A team of
woodsmen couldn’t lift it, so Kellogg came up with the ingenious idea
of digging a trench under it, driving the truck in, and then lowering
the body down on the chassis.
Carpentry was also one of Kellogg’s skills, and he built a cozy
motor home interior, complete with windows, a double bed, kitchen with
built-in cabinets, dining room and guest room. The walls were four
inches thick.
It’s a wonder that the truck, which had four-wheel drive and a
four-speed transmission (featuring an ultra-low gear), could move at
all, but it toured the country until 1926, visiting New York,
Philadelphia, San Francisco and Kenosha, Wisconsin (albeit at speeds not
topping 15 miles per hour). By all accounts the Travel Log served its
mission because redwood trees are protected national treasures today.
The Travel Log in its element. (Photo: Humboldt Redwoods State Park Museum)
Kellogg, a life member of the Save the Redwoods League, eventually
took the Travel Log’s body off the truck base and put it under an oak
tree in his backyard. After he died in 1948, supporters reunited the
motor home with a Nash Quad and put it on display. Today, it can be seen at the Humboldt Redwoods State Park Museum in Weott, California.
The Travel Log could reach 15 mpg, but probably only downhill. (Photo: Humboldt Redwoods State Park Museum)
I learned about Charles “The Nature Singer” Kellogg while
researching my book "Naked in the Woods," a story about another nature
man of the period, Joseph Knowles. You can learn more about "Naked in the Woods" here.
Related on MNN:
- Coast redwoods: Majestic giants benefit all humankind
- World's 7 most amazing trees
- 21 reasons why forests are important
Interior photo: www.rvtravel.com
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