U is for Uncle John’s Tree: Golden Gate Park’s own Christmas tree
The huge Monterey cypress in front of McLaren Lodge in Golden Gate Park is now glowing with hundreds of lights for the holiday season.
Illustration by Michael Wertz from Golden Gate Park: An A to Z Adventure. All rights reserved.
This tree – the park’s own Christmas tree and the City of San Francisco’s official holiday tree – is known as Uncle John’s Tree. Uncle John’s Tree is nearly as old as the park itself. It’s thought to have been planted in the 1880s, when trees were planted in the nearby Panhandle (which is part of Golden Gate Park).
“Uncle John” was John McLaren. McLaren oversaw Golden Gate Park starting in 1887 for more than 50 years, and shaped much of what we experience in the park today. And it’s fitting that a tree is named for McLaren; he’s credited with planting more than 2 million trees in San Francisco’s parks during his lifetime!
Uncle John’s Tree was first lit for the holidays in 1929, and this tradition continued over the years in part because McLaren’s birthday was December 20. McLaren apparently loved having the tree in his front yard and always passed out candy to kids at the festive tree lighting.
After McLaren died at 96, the tree lighting continued in his honor. I’m sure there are a lot kids (and adults, like me!) who are sad the official lighting event is not happening this year due to Covid. There’s some magic in that moment the lights switch “on” Uncle John’s Tree, and the event itself is one of the most family-friendly events all year, with a sledding hill, carol-singing, a little train, and more.
It was at the tree lighting in 2017 that I realized I absolutely had to finish writing Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure! Then-Mayor Ed Lee mentioned in his remarks that Golden Gate Park was turning 150 in 2020, and I knew there had to be a book to celebrate this milestone – and I had to be the one to write it.
When I was writing Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure, I wanted to feature things that are truly unique to our beloved park. I decided ‘U’ had to be for Uncle John’s Tree. Go check out this very special holiday tree (and don’t miss the nearby forest of lights ‘Entwined’ opening December 10).
With thanks to Christopher Pollock, author of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park: A Thousand and Seventeen Acres of Stories. His book includes the history of Uncle John’s Tree. You can also read Ken Garcia’s piece about Uncle John’s Tree.