Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California The Travel-Log
AO Edited

The Travel-Log

A vaudeville performer mounted this hollowed-out redwood log onto the chassis of a truck, and toured the country spreading a message of conservation.

Myers Flat, California

Added By
Thomas Harper
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Made from a Redwood Trunk   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
The Travel-Log Front   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the Travel-Log   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Motor car house built of one piece of redwood   Robert H. Moulton/Public Domain
Come See Charles Kellogg   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Kellogg On Tour   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
About the Travel-Log   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Charles Kellogg was a popular Vaudeville singer from northern California known for his impeccable imitations of bird songs sung from the throat instead of by whistling. When he would return home, he would see his beloved redwood forests under threat, and thought of a new way to spread a message of conservation. 

In 1917 the Pacific Lumber Company donated a fallen redwood trunk 11 feet in diameter from their lands and Kellogg cut a 22-foot section to mount onto a Nash Quad chassis. The log weighed three tons, and a tunnel had to be dug underneath so that it could be mounted. Kellogg would use the Travel-Log to tour and inform his audiences and the media about the need to conserve the California redwoods.

Kellogg passed away in 1949, and his family and friends kept the Travel-Log stored as his former home until it was donated to the Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association in 1995. It would be restored through community efforts and fundraisers in 2000, and the Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitors Center would be remodeled to house the unique mobile home, which was driven across the country to help keep the California redwoods standing for future generations to look up to.

Related Tags

Trucks Trees Conservation Vaudeville

Know Before You Go

The Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitors Center is open from May to September 9 AM - 5 PM, and from October to April  10 AM - 4 PM Wednesdays through Sundays.  

Community Contributors

Added By

thomasharper

Published

December 20, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitors Center Displays
  • https://www.savetheredwoods.org/explore/the-first-rv-was-a-redwood/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kellogg_(naturalist)
  • Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitors Center - Displays
  • https://www.savetheredwoods.org/explore/the-first-rv-was-a-redwood/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kellogg_(naturalist)
The Travel-Log
Avenue of the Giants
Myers Flat, California, 95554
United States
40.269721, -123.875495
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Hobbiton, USA

Phillipsville, California

miles away

Avenue of the Giants

Humboldt County, California

miles away

Confusion Hill

Piercy, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of California

California

United States

Places 1,508
Stories 136

Nearby Places

Hobbiton, USA

Phillipsville, California

miles away

Avenue of the Giants

Humboldt County, California

miles away

Confusion Hill

Piercy, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of California

California

United States

Places 1,508
Stories 136

Related Stories and Lists

Charles Kellogg Sang Like a Bird and Drove a Giant Tree

animals

By Natasha Frost

Related Places

  • Guayacán Centenario

    Guánica, Puerto Rico

    Guayacán Centenario

    A resilient tree that has survived for more than 700 years in Guánica Dry Forest.

  • Bayou Bienvenue

    New Orleans, Louisiana

    Cypress "Ghost Swamp"

    A serene but haunting memorial to protective wetland lost, the absence of which directly damaged the Lower 9th Ward following Hurricane Katrina.

  • The Magnolia Grandiflora in 2009 with the Hattie Carthan mural on the wall behind it.

    Brooklyn, New York

    Magnolia Grandiflora

    A century-old magnolia tree is the only living landmark tree in New York City.

  • Nikkō Suginamiki, or the Cedar Avenue.

    Nikko, Japan

    Cedar Avenue of Nikkō

    Stretching for 22 miles, the world's longest tree-lined avenue dates back to the early 17th-century.

  • John Muir’s Giant Sequoia.

    Martinez, California

    John Muir's Giant Sequoia

    A sparse, solitary sequoia still stands as a living tribute to the famous conservationist who planted it—but it's dying.

  • Port Renfrew, British Columbia

    Big Lonely Doug

    Saved by a logger, this Douglas fir is one of the last great old-growth trees in Canada.

  • Wildlife found around the Tiputini Biodiversity Station.

    Ecuador

    Tiputini Biodiversity Station

    This research hub in the Amazon Rainforest is perched amid one of the world's most biologically diverse landscapes.

  • Tree 75 at Syracuse University.

    Syracuse, New York

    Tree of 40 Fruit

    A Frankenstein blend of science and art allows one tree to produce 40 different types of stone fruit.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.