The explosion of migration to California after the U.S. took possession in 1848 was absolutely insane. The year after the young nation took control of the territory gold was discovered, and the masses ran into her hills in search of the rare metal. She gained statehood in 1850, and the rush to develop became incessant. The history of Redwood National Park details why this was important to the perseveration of a great species of tree.
Guide to Redwood
A Need for Lumber
With the subsequent explosion of the state’s population, the demand for timber simply could not be met . Settlements were popping up all over the west. The need for construction materials to facilitate the creation of towns and growing cities meant that no tree was safe, and the towering Redwoods of the northern California coast were prime for the taking. They were tall and straight, and made for perfect lumber.
Between the years of 1850 and 1968, despite the cries of a number of more environmentally conscious persons, an estimated 96% of the coastal Redwood trees were logged. Rarely was the sustainability of the forest considered, and even more rarely were the trees replanted.
John Muir once said of the great Sequoia family of trees:
“Through all the wonderful, eventful centuries since Christ’s time—and long before that—God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand straining, leveling tempests and floods; but he cannot save them from fools,—only Uncle Sam can do that.”
As it became more apparent that the trees would disappear completely if no action was taken to defend them, groups of concerned citizens sprouted up in an effort to preserve large tracts of land that were home to the Redwood trees.
Save the Redwoods League
The Save the Redwoods League was formed in 1918. Wealthy benefactors and persons of means donated personal funds to buy tracts of land, much of which would be donated to the formation of state parks administered by the state of California, which was also contributing funds to add acreage to the idea. The parks of Prairie Creek, Del Norte Coast and Jedediah Smith Redwood State Parks were amassed from the purchases of many separate pieces of land over the course of the early 20th century.
Despite the cries for a national park to offer greater, more permanent funding and protection, it was not until the late 1960s that a campaign led by a coalition of the Save the Redwoods League, the Sierra Club, the National Geographic Society, and first lady Lady Bird Johnson, led to action by the federal government. Redwood National Park was established by the signature of Lyndon B Johnson on October 2, 1968.
The Park Expands
Over the next 25 years, small additions to the park were added from time to time. In 1994, an agreement was reached between the National Park Service and the State of California to join forces and manage the state and national park cooperatively. Thus, the creation of Redwood National and State Parks.
Guide to Redwood
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