Charles Kellogg and the Travel Log

Charles Kellogg (The Nature Singer) and the Travel Log
Charles Kellogg was born in the Spanish Ranch area near Susanville, CA on October 2, 1868. Being free to explore his wild surroundings, he cultivated a real love and respect for nature and realized at a very early age that he could mimic and reproduce the songs of birds. (Listen to some examples of his bird calls below.) After studying in New York at Syracuse University, Kellogg began a career lecturing and performing for the public in 1885. Among his venues were tours with the Chautauqua and Vaudeville Circuits, and headlining at the Keith-Orpheum Theater, but included audiences all over the world.
Charles Kellogg and his Travel Log at his home in Morgan Hill, CA	Kellogg built the world famous Travel-Log in 1917 and toured across the United States to sell World War I Liberty Bonds until peacetime, and then to carry out his dream to preserve the great groves of redwoods in the state of California by awakening public sentiment. In all, he traveled across the United States four times.
His human voice was analyzed and found to be normal, under 4,000 Hz; however, his bird voice soared into the inaudible, above 14,000 Hz. In August of 1926, he did a "voice flame" demonstration on KGO radio in Oakland, CA, where he astonished thousands by extinguishing a two-foot flame in Berkeley, CA, with nothing more than his voice over the airways. His voice reputedly had a range of twelve and one-half octaves, while the normal range of a singing voice is just two and one-half.	The Travel Log was the first motorhome built from a single redwood log and mounted on a Nash Quad.
Charles Kellogg in the Rockefeller Forest, measuring the height of the log that eventually was hand-hewn into the Travel Log.	Most of Kellogg's later years consisted of touring for three or four months, then spending the rest of the year at his home in Morgan Hill, CA, or in the wilderness where he was most comfortable. He was a friend to other great naturalists like John Muir and John Burroughs. Kellogg died on September 5, 1949 after a life-long career as a naturalist and nature singer. The Travel Log was the first motorhome, a single hand-hewn redwood log mounted on a Nash Quad truck. The Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association Visitor Center at Humboldt Redwoods State Park now houses the Kellogg Travel Log. Visitors may see it throughout the year and learn more about Kellogg's message of redwood conservation. For more information, contact us at the address below, or send us an email.
Bird Song Clip #1	Bird Song Clip #2

Charles Kellogg's bird songs are available on CD through the park Visitor Center at the address below: Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association P.O. Box 276 Weott, Ca 95571 (707)946-2263

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You can help support the work of the H.R.I.A. (Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association) by becoming a member. Funds raised through memberships, endowments, and donations enable H.R.I.A. to develop displays, purchase equipment, sponsor research, publish interpretive literature, and also to fund the expansion of the Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center and its quality exhibits. A critical element in the success of the Association is its membership and endowment program. Individuals and families throughout the country have long supported the Association.