Generations of Miwok and Washoe Indians knew these forests and trees long before the rest of the world met the giant sequoias in 1852, when hunter Augustus T. Dowd stumbled upon the North Grove. That discovery brought both acclaim and exploitation to the big trees. Soon afterward, the bark of the massive Discovery Tree was stripped for exhibition and the tree was felled. In 1856, a pavilion was constructed over the stump, and a few years later promoters built a saloon and bowling alley on the fallen trunk. The mistreatment of the ancient trees horrified many people and helped spark a movement to preserve the giant sequoias.