was established on this date in 1908. From the National Park Service —
“This is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world,” declared conservationist John Muir when describing the majestic coast redwoods of Muir Woods.
Until the 1800’s, many northern California coastal valleys were covered with coast redwood trees similar to those now found in Muir Woods National Monument. The forest along Redwood Creek in today’s Muir Woods was spared from logging because it was hard to get to. Noting that Redwood Creek contained one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s last uncut stands of old-growth redwood, Congressman William Kent and his wife, Elizabeth Thacher Kent, bought 295 acres here for $45,000 in 1905. To protect the redwoods the Kents donated the land to the United States Federal Government and, in 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt declared it a national monument. Roosevelt suggested naming the area after Kent, but Kent wanted it named for conservationist John Muir.
This has been one of my favorite places to go in Northern California. Note that Mill Valley is right next to the Monument, the place where BJ Hunnicut of the MASH TV show lived, hows that for some obscure trivia!
You’ve inspired me to post my own photos of my trips there in 2001.
We take many folks who come to visit us here to Muir Woods. We hike down in from the ridge above, instead of going via the tourist entrance. Such very old souls, the trees.
National Parks: The biggest plus in TR’s legacy.