On display outside the Hume Lake Ranger District Office is a restored Dolbeer Donkey. Dolbeer Donkeys were used to skid (move) logs from where the trees were felled to the railroad cars.  This donkey was used by the Hume-Bennett Lumber Co. around Hume Lake from the early 1900s until 1927 when it was abandoned on the job site.

Dolbeer Donkeys were the work horse of the logging industry until the diesel engine and trucks took over. No where else were the abilities of the Donkey tested more than when the loggers began cutting giant sequoias in the southern Sierra Nevada.  In their Historical Overview of Railroad Logging Resources within the Hume Lake Ranger District, Brown and Elling explain,

"The logging of these trees [Giant Sequoias] had small beginnings, to be sure, but it finished with a devastating and destructive force that left a void within Converse Basin which may still be seen and felt today.  Because no other attempts were made in the Sierra Nevada to log the Sierra redwood on a scale comparable to the operations in this district, the history and remains of the industry within the Hume Lake Ranger District represent a unique chapter in the development of the timber industry in California, as well as within the nation as a whole (Brown and Elling 1981:140)."

The display is located at the office for the Hume Lake Ranger District, Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia National Forest.  The office has visitor information and small gift shop.  

Hours Open: Display 24hours; Office 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday

Time Period Represented: 1900-1927

Seasons Open: Year round

Visitor Fees: Free

Completely ADA Accessible.

Leash pets in developed recreation sites such as trail heads, picnic areas, and campgrounds. On trails, pets must be on a leash or under voice control. Pets must not be allowed to chase or disturb wildlife or other visitors.