Northern California: The 50-Year Fight to Save the Coastal Redwoods

In the early 1900s, Northern California's coastal redwood forests—trees that had stood for over 2,000 years—faced near-total destruction from industrial logging. By 1918, only a fraction of the original old-growth forest remained. What followed was one of America's earliest and most successful environmental conservation movements: a fifty-year fight to save the last of these ancient giants.

This episode tells the story of how a small group of scientists, philanthropists, and determined activists created the Save the Redwoods League in 1918, launching a campaign that would ultimately preserve tens of thousands of acres of primeval forest. Through strategic land purchases, public fundraising drives, and persistent lobbying, they transformed Northern California's coast from a landscape of clear-cut devastation into a network of protected state and national parks.

The movement wasn't without controversy. Early conservationists like Madison Grant brought problematic eugenic ideologies to their work, while logging companies fought fiercely to maintain access to the valuable timber. Communities dependent on logging jobs faced uncertain futures. Yet despite these tensions, the coalition persisted—purchasing groves tree by tree, acre by acre, donation by donation.

The story culminates in 1968 with the creation of Redwood National Park, championed by Lady Bird Johnson and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. But even this victory came with compromise: the park's boundaries were drawn to minimize economic disruption, leaving some old-growth forests outside protection and ensuring battles would continue for decades to come.

Timeline of Events

1850s: California Gold Rush brings first wave of intensive redwood logging to supply rapidly growing San Francisco and mining operations. By the 1880s, industrial-scale logging strips vast swaths of the coastal forest.

1918: Save the Redwoods League founded by Madison Grant, Henry Fairfield Osborn, and John C. Merriam following a camping trip through the redwood region. Their mission: preserve representative groves of old-growth forest before complete destruction.

1920s-1930s: The League purchases thousands of acres through a combination of private donations and matching state funds. Humboldt Redwoods State Park (1921) and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (1923) are established, protecting key groves from logging.

1960s: Growing environmental movement brings renewed urgency to redwood preservation. Lady Bird Johnson's "beautification" campaign and increasing public awareness create political momentum for a national park.

October 2, 1968: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs legislation creating Redwood National Park, protecting 58,000 acres of old-growth and cutover forest. The victory represents fifty years of persistent advocacy and fundraising.

Historical Significance

The California redwood conservation movement pioneered tactics that would become standard for environmental activism worldwide. The Save the Redwoods League's model—combining scientific expertise, strategic land acquisition, public fundraising, and government partnerships—created a blueprint followed by conservation organizations ever since. Their approach demonstrated that private citizens could successfully challenge industrial interests through persistent, well-organized campaigns.

The movement also exposed tensions that remain relevant today: how do communities balance environmental preservation with economic needs? Who gets to decide which landscapes deserve protection? What happens to workers when resource extraction industries shut down? These questions, first confronted in the redwood forests of the 1920s, continue to shape environmental policy debates.

Most significantly, the redwood campaign helped shift American attitudes toward wilderness preservation. In an era when "progress" meant dominion over nature, conservationists argued that some landscapes held value beyond their extractive worth—that ancient forests represented irreplaceable natural heritage deserving permanent protection. This philosophical shift would ultimately enable the modern environmental movement.

Sources and Further Reading

This episode draws from historical records of the Save the Redwoods League, National Park Service archives, and contemporary newspaper accounts from 1918-1968. For deeper exploration, consult the Save the Redwoods League's digital archives (savetheredwoods.org), which contain extensive documentation of the preservation campaigns, and the Redwood National and State Parks official history at nps.gov/redw. Susan R. Schrepfer's "The Fight to Save the Redwoods" (1983) provides comprehensive historical analysis of the movement.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hometownhistory/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy