Hay Tree

The towns of Hynes and Clearwater were incorporated into the town of Paramount in 1948. From 1930 to 1960 the towns of Hyne and Clearwater (or collectively as Paramount) were known as the “The Milk Shed of Los Angeles” and “Hay Capital” of the world. There were over 25,000 milk cows in the area during that period and the price of hay on the commodity market was set for the region’s dairies each morning at the Hay Tree, a camphor tree planted in the late 19th century. The Hay Tree the only reminder of the area’s busy hay and dairy industry, preserved in a place of prominence in a corner of the Paramount Civic Center Plaza. It is one of eleven trees designated as California Historical Landmarks.

Paramount, Los Angeles County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt