[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 31 (Thursday, March 11, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PARAMOUNT--``HAY TREE''

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 10, 2004

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, nearly 75 years ago, 
farmers gathered beneath the soaring camphor and depending on the 
weather and production level, set the price of hay around the world.
  The Hay Tree, a 50-foot-high camphor, thought to be more than 100 
years old--is considered one of the few remnants of the once-thriving 
dairy and hay industry that ruled southeastern Los Angeles County and 
Northwestern Orange County. From the 1920s through the 1950s this area 
was called ``The Hay Capital of the World.''
  The Paramount Hay Tree has recently been named the latest historical 
landmark in California by the State Historical Resources Commission. It 
was the first awarding of landmark status in southeast Los Angeles 
County in 10 years. The Hay Tree joins 1,100 landmarks throughout 
California, only 11 of which are also trees.
  According to the Office of Historic Preservation, an object must meet 
one of the following criteria to be eligible for landmark status: It 
must be considered the first, last or only one of its kind in the state 
or region, or it must be connected to a person or group having a 
significant influence in California history.
  The towns of Hynes and Clearwater--which would later incorporate 
together as Paramount--were the hub of the southern California dairy 
country and became the world's largest hay market. The alfalfa was 
shipped in from as far away as Arizona and Montana. Each day's median 
hay price was quoted in major newspapers as the national and 
international standard. It was under the Hay Tree--an informal 
gathering place for truckers, farmers and workers--that the 
representatives from the area lots would compare notes and come up with 
the composite price figure.
  The Hay Tree still holds sway over Paramount's newest addition--Civic 
Center Plaza, and will be the focal point of the new Plaza and 
Botanical Garden. A small park, set aside as open space in perpetuity, 
will surround the graceful camphor, signifying its sentimental and 
historical standing in town.
  Paramount's oldest banner, the Hay Tree, is one of California's 
finest monuments--it speaks praise without boasting and will be a 
blessing to all for years to come.

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