Humboldt State University Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University Susie Van Kirk Papers Special Collections 12-2015 Redwood Highway/Save the Redwoods Movement Susie Van Kirk Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/svk Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Van Kirk, Susie, "Redwood Highway/Save the Redwoods Movement" (2015). Susie Van Kirk Papers. 25. https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/svk/25 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Collections at Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Susie Van Kirk Papers by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REDWOOD HIGHWAY/SAVE THE REDWOODS MOVEMENT Research for State Parks project August 2013-April 2014 Engbeck, Joseph H., Jr., State Parks of California. 1980. Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co., Portland. Chapter 4. Save the Redwoods! Naturalists had explored the forests of the north coast region and some, including John Mur, were especially impressed by the extraordinary stand of redwoods alongside the South Fork of the Eel River at bull Creek and the nearby Dyerville Flat. These experts agreed that the coast redwood forest was at its magnificent best far to the north of San Francisco. Some authorities went so far as to say that the Bull Creek and Dyerville Flat area supported the most impressive and spectacular forest in the whole world…. In 1916 and 1917 several developments took place that would eventually have a profound impact on the north coast redwood region in general and the Bull Creek-Dyerville Flat area in particular. First of all, the National Park Service was created in 1916, and under the inspired leadership of its first director, Stephen T. Mather, set out to acquire for public “use, resort, and recreation” those features of North America that could best remind Americans of their pioneer tradition and of the magnificent natural heritage that everyone had a right to enjoy and a responsibility to preserve…. The second major factor affecting Bull Creek and the north coast redwoods was the construction of a new state highway through the redwoods to Eureka and Crescent City in the extreme northwest corner of California. This new highway passed right through the Bull Creek- Dyerville Flat area and promised to open up the whole South Fork of the Eel to increased tourism and to commercial logging…. In August 1917, a number of prominent business and professional men, academicians, and others gathered for the annual summer encampment of San Francisco’s prestigious Bohemian Club….north coast redwood preservation issue [came] up for discussion….Several members of the club were eager to have a look at the situation and before long an expedition was in the making…. The expedition was so revealing—so impressive and yet so worrisome—that a letter was immediately written (August 9, 1917) to the governor of California, William D. Stephens, asking him to find some way of preserving part of the great natural spectacle they had just witnessed….The letter was signed by Henry Fairfield Osborn, president of the American Museum of Natural History, New York; and was co-signed by Madison Grant, chairman of the New York Zoological Society. The third, but unsigned party to the letter was Dr. John C. Merriam, professor of paleontology and Dean of the Faculties at the University of California in Berkeley…. Grant worked with Merriam and others to form an organization that he said should be called the “Save-the-Redwoods League” ….In Washington in October 1918, Grant and Merriam met with Franklin K. Lane, then Secretary of the Interior….They discussed the redwood situation and with Mather’s help persuaded Lane to serve as president of the new league….In August 1919, Mather and Madison Grant came west in time to attend the Pg. 44: In 1921 the league [Save the Redwoods League] pursued legislation that promised to provide $300,000 of state money to supplement the funds already being expended by the league and by Humboldt County for acquisition of redwood forest land adjacent to the state highway in southern Humboldt County….In June…he [Governor Stephens] approved the legislation and thereafter Solon Williams of the Forestry Board was able to acquire several redwood groves alongside the highway adjacent to the South Fork of the Eel River in what is now Humboldt Redwoods State Park. One of those areas, Richardson Grove, included a campground, rental cabins, and other tourist accommodations that were suitable for public use and management by concession contract. Pg. 44-45: Negotiations between the League and the Pacific Lumber Co. concerning the incomparable forest at Dyerville Flat and Bull Creek had been underway for several years….Pacific Lumber was simply unwilling to sell it. No prospect that either the federal government nor the state would save these areas; only hope was Humboldt County with funds from the League; P.L. started logging late 1924.. Drury alerted key members of the League; John Merriam contacted Madison Grant, who had been pursuing a very promising line of discussion with John D. Rockefeller, Jr. regarding a large donation to the League. Grant wired (Nov. 25, 1924) William Crocker advising him to proceed with negotiations for “as large an area in both Bull Creek and Dyerville tracts as is obtainable.” In this endeavor the League could count on up to one million dollars, but under no circumstances was anyone to say anything about who had provided the money. League offered to provide acquisition funds to Humboldt County if the county would agree to acquire the Dyerville Flat-Bull Creek redwoods by condemnation, if necessary. After stormy dramatic public hearing, the Board of Supervisors agreed to proceed with acquisition of both Dyerville Flat and Bull Creek Flat. The County also obtained a court order that immediately prohibited further logging. Years would go by before a settlement could be reached. League needed more funds, instead of a million maybe four or five million. Faced with this dilemma the League began to give serious consideration to the possibility of a public bond act that would enable the state to acquire redwood parks using state funds matched by League and other private donations. League’s state park committee: Duncan McDuffie, William E. Colby and J.C. Sperry were asked to recommend “a definite plan for a state park system and administration in California.” McDuffie advised that further state involvement in redwood forest preservation was most likely to come about as one element in a comprehensive, statewide park program. A whole system of parks should be created, along with a single state park commission that could coordinate state park matters on a statewide basis. Need for survey of park possibilities throughout state. Best person for the job was Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr.. Legislation would be required and a bond act for funding. League state park committee had already prepared draft legislation. Page 48-50: Group formed, California State Parks Committee, with Drury given primary responsibility for organizing public support for two park bills. SB 185 provided for the creation of a central state park commission; SB 608 set up a statewide survey of potential state park sites. Broad support, but Pacific Lumber was opposed and former governor Pardee. The Commission bill was amended to make the commission more or less subject to the Board of Control, but Governor Friend Richardson let the bills die by pocket veto, he simply refused to sign. February 7, 1927, California State Parks Committee was revived as a campaign organization designed to support legislation that would create a State Park System. Three new bills SB 439 provided for the creation of a single state park commission; SB 440 provided for a comprehensive survey of potential park sites; SB 441 provided for submission to the voters of a $6 million bond issue that would provide funds for state park acquisition purposes, dollar for dollar match. The state park bills of 1927 sailed through the legislative committee process. Governor signed on May 25, 1927. During summer of 1927, the State Parks Committee began making plans for the bond campaign of 1928 for the $6 million. First State Park Commission appointed by Gov. Young in Nov. 1927: William E. Colby, Ray Lyman Wilbur, Henry W. O’Melveny, Frederick Russell Burnham and Senator Wilbur Chandler. At January 1928 meeting the State Park Commission appointed Colonel Charles B. Wing as Chief of the division of Parks. At same meeting Commission approved Olmstead’s proposal for carrying out the state park survey. Huge organized campaign for bond issue, which passed Nov 6, 1928, three to one. Page 57: Although the State Park System of 1928-29 was small and primitive, its prospects were bright….In January, 1929, representatives of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. notified the Save-the- Redwoods League that the Rockefeller gift of $1 million for park acquisition of Bull Creek- Dyerville Flat need not be kept anonymous and secret any longer. Voter approval of the State Park Bond Act had convinced Rockefeller that Californians were ready to shoulder their own local responsibilities with regard to redwood forest preservation and related state park matters. Rockefeller now informed the League that he was ready and willing to donate another $1 million for redwood preservation if the amount could be matched. Page 57-60: [Olmstead conducted survey of potential parks with public involvement and turned in report in December 1928. Early 1929, State Park Commission began to wrestle with the complexities of acquisition. Drury took on that responsibility.] In February and March 1929, the Save the Redwoods League turned over six parcels of redwood forestland to the State Park System These magnificent redwood groves—600 acres in all, worth about $77,000—had been acquired by the league through the generosity of many individuals, notably Mrs.