{"product_id":"california-vintage-lidded-stash-box-redwood-trees","title":"California Vintage Lidded Stash Box Made From Giant Redwood Trees","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePACIFIC + SOUTHWEST. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWood “Stash” Trinket Box, c. 1960. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis souvenir item from Claremont, CA, was put together before bans came into effect on harvesting old growth coastal sequoia trees for commercial use. Legal paths remain, but such wood is sourced almost exclusively from younger, faster growing trees. In order to resell a piece like the small lidded box we are offering, evidence that it was manufactured prior to the passage of all relevant protective acts must be undisputed. Our research into Griswold’s, the Claremont business which originally used the box, revealed that it was a dried fruit, marmalade, and candy shop operating along Route 66 to serve the tourist trade. Founded by the Griswold family at the beginning of the 1960s, it later moved across the iconic roadway and expanded to become an all-you-can-eat buffet, legendary for its Swedish meatballs. The redwood stash box certainly is a remnant of Griswold’s first iteration as a small candy and nut shop. This means its original use as a packaging container came in the early 1960s, which predates the preservation legislation passed from 1968 onward. It is true that laws were in place to protect California’s Giant Redwoods even prior to this, but we concluded that a popular venue like Griswold’s would not flaunt a violation of environmental policy on the very box it used to connect itself to the heritage of giant sequoia forest tourism. The central etching on the lid is an early model automobile motoring through the Wawona Tree Tunnel - carved in 1881 through the base of a Yellowstone Giant Redwood. The tree survived this act of forestry showmanship, thankfully, living on in its subsequently protected habitat of Mariposa Grove until 1969, when it was felled by a heavy snowstorm. The etchings on either side of the California Tunnel Tree are scenes taken from the Southern parts of The Golden State a bit closer to Claremont than where the giant redwoods grow. Santa Barbara Mission, established in 1786, is west of where George Griswold founded his Route 66 business. Santa Catalina’s Avalon Bay is even further west yet, on an island 22 miles out into the Pacific. Given these far flung parameters, odds are that the box was not manufactured specifically for Griswold’s, but was put together by a tourism industry company to sell to places in the region with small container needs. The information about those businesses would then be placed on the inner lid. This would explain why the illustrations on the box top and also the Giant Redwood Trees claim inside the lid are not embossed into the wood surface as is the Griswold’s name and locale. However you package it, though, this is a unique example of American souvenir history at its best. We hope it fits your needs perfectly! [Condition: Used Good. The lightweight, soft wood has no gouges or scratches.] \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition: Used Good. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLocal \/ Regional Attractions. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions: 10” wide x 5” high x 1.5” deep \/ 6 oz\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Regionals","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50198977151233,"sku":"M1SWCAL00237","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0723\/3264\/0513\/files\/california-redwood-lidded-stash-box-01-3184.jpg?v=1787010577","url":"https:\/\/theregionals.store\/products\/california-vintage-lidded-stash-box-redwood-trees","provider":"The Regionals","version":"1.0","type":"link"}