City leaders unveiled a plaque on Tuesday, commemorating a large California pepper tree in Stearns Champions Park that, by their best estimate, is about 100 years old.
The tree, on the south side of the park near Tucker Elementary School, is a “neighborhood icon,” in part because of how long it’s towered over the area, according to a statement from the city.
When researchers from the city’s Community Development Department took a deep dive into the tree’s history, they were able to pinpoint an estimated age by looking at a historical aerial photo from Jan. 1, 1928.
The picture shows two mature pepper trees near the front of the Long Beach Water Department pumping plant that then occupied Stearns Park.
Years later, only one remains.
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Councilmember Daryl Supernaw said, as a child, he used to walk past the two towering pepper trees to get to his little league games.
When one was removed in 2008, he said, that kicked off the motivation to find out the remaining tree’s history, and “make sure this one remained.”
For can see a full accounting of the city’s investigation into the tree’s history here.