History

Around 15 different Native American groups lived in the redwood territory when the Spanish arrived on the Pacific. The Miwoks lived in area, which later became Marin County. They were, for the most part, coastal dwellers, with the largest centers of population located near present-day Bolinas, Sausalito and San Rafael. These areas put them close to a dependable food supply of clams, mussels, limpets and acorns. They probably never lived in Muir Woods, but they did pass through the area and, on occasion, hunt in this vicinity.
Western man came upon the scene with the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in the mid 1700’s. The first redwood was discovered by Gaspar de Portola in 1769 during a trek from San Diego to Monterey. The Spanish practiced occasional logging to provide timbers for their ships and missions. Some grazing was done on coastal grasslands, and of course, crops were planted to provide the settlements with food. The most important legacy left by the Spanish on the environment of Marin County was their very great cultural influence, which is still seen today, especially reflected in architectural themes.
In 1838, William Richardson received a Mexican grant of land, Rancho Sausalito (Little Willow Ranch), which contained all the Marin land southeast of Mt. Tamalpais, and included Redwood Canyon and the lands now within Muir Woods National Monument. The tranquil Spanish way of life was maintained until gold was discovered in California, at Sutter’s Mill, in 1848.

The gold rush caused a mass migration of those who hoped to make their fortunes in the gold fields. The password of the day became ‘get in, get rich quick, and get out’. San Francisco became the center for new population of gold seekers. All kinds of supplies including timber, meat and crops were now needed in much greater quantities. As a result, hunting reduced black tail deer populations, and elk, antelope, grizzly and black bear, cougar and coyote disappeared completely.

Early settlers regarded the Redwood as inferior lumber and continued to import lumber from the east. However, in the 1850’s carpenters started to recognize the durability and workability of the Redwood and the cutting began. Most of the easily accessible timber in Marin County was logged between 1850 and 1870. Luckily Redwood Canyon escaped much of this onslaught because of its inaccessibility, and the extreme difficulty of logging such steep slopes.
Early visitors arrived either on foot, horseback, buggy, or via the Mill Valley and Mt. Tamalpais Railroad, nicknamed the “crookedest railroad in the world” because of the many twists and turns made by the tracks as they climbed Mt. Tamalpais. In 1914 the first automobile reached Muir Woods over the wagon road from Mill Valley. This early use of the Monument was quite casual as people wandered as they wished, and vehicles passed through the length of the canyon. Needless to say, early use caused severe damage to the under story (ground cover) vegetation, and eventually necessitated stronger regulatory measures. Cars were excluded from redwood groves in 1924, and the elimination of picnicking, the fencing of trails, and the prohibition of plant, animal and rock collecting soon followed. Also, small tracts of private land were added to the Monument to prevent incompatible land uses on nearby lands.
Noting that Redwood Creek contained one of the Bay Area’s last uncut stands of old growth redwood, Congressman William Kent and his wife, Elizabeth Thatcher Kent, bought 295 acres here for $45,000 in 1903. Despite the desperate need for lumber after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the trees remained untouched. In 1907 the Tamalpais Land and Water Company released plans to dam the creek at today’s entrance and flood the park. After going through local courts, the Kents chose to donate the land to the Federal Government in order to save the trees from destruction. On January 9th, 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt declared it a national monument. Roosevelt suggested naming the area Kent Monument, but Kent wanted it named for conservationist John Muir.
In its early days as a park, there were 16 footbridges across the creek (there are 4 today), you could drive all the way through, and there were picnic tables and restrooms among the trees. In the 1920’s the signs of deterioration were showing. Bare dirt was showing where low lying plants were trampled and erosion was revealing tree roots. Some of the more rare plants were also being poached. At William Kent’s request, the road was closed to cars in 1924 and overnight camping was outlawed a year later. In 1933 fires were banned and tolls were tripled. In the 50’s the picnic tables were all removed, along with most of the footbridges. However, despite all of these changes, the increased visitation (784,000 in 1967) caused the park to improve very little. In 1968 the trails were redefined much narrower than before, with fences bounding them to protect the trees and their roots. Parts of the trail were also asphalted to protect roots. In 1980 the practice of cleaning up all ground debris ended. This ground matter is home to insects, salamanders, shrews and wood rats. Today, over 1.5 million visitors enter the park each year and the trees are thriving once again.

John Muir: Philosopher, Scientist, Author:
Young John Muir’s family emigrated from Scotland to Wisconsin in 1848. Muir had a lively interest in nature and after brief studies at the University of Wisconsin he left school for what he would call “the University of the Wilderness.” On his lengthy wanderings Muir contemplated man’s relationship to nature, concluding that all life forms have inherent significance and the right to exist. Humans, Muir decided, are no greater or lesser than other forms of life. Muir eventually won public acceptance of conservation as an environmental ethic and inspired generations of wilderness advocates. He spent much of his life in Yosemite and was largely responsible for its ‘National Park’ status in 1890. He became the first president of the Sierra club in the 1892.

Logging and Conservation

Redwoods dominate the history in Northern California. They have been used construct the railroads, for wine vats, water pipes and much of the housing in the area.
Native Americans were known to use the lumber mainly for building, but also for boxes, stools and dugout canoes.
The Spanish used the local redwood for the missions, but did not use it extensively.
The trees were first logged in the Mexican Era from 1821 to 1848.
During the gold rush, most of the loggers left the area to look for gold. The demand for lumber increased with the influx of immigrants so the price for the redwood soared. Logging took off, especially in the Bay Area. Technology, including steam power and railroads also added to the pace of the logging. The harvest stayed steady for the next 50 years. Logging increased after the 1906 earthquake and the increasing need for construction lumber. By 1925 2/3 of the original forests were still untouched and to many, the supply was inexhaustible. The industry shrank during the depression and the war, but increased to new levels after 1945 with the national housing boom. The annual harvest in the late 40’s was triple that of any other period. This level of logging was steady until the mid 70’s. Since then, the industry has shrunk enormously, with the reduced supply and the increased demand for conservation.
Less than 5% of the original land area is still redwood forest and less than 5% of the remaining redwood forests are ancient (original) growth.
Today Muir Woods stands as a reminder of the way much of the surrounding Marin County land once appeared. Here may be found an environment, which can heighten our awareness of the gaps between “progress” of the 20th Century technology and the quality of our lives.
Conservationists first appeared in the 1890’s around Santa Cruz, where much of the early logging was taking place. Big Basin Redwood State Park was the first area to be protected in 1901
The first conference on redwood ecology was held in Arcata in Northern California in 1996. In 1999 the Headwaters Conservation Plan passed, which transferred the last significant groves into public hands.