Milestones in the History of Redwoods and Save-the-Redwoods League

1850
Start of widespread coast redwood logging.

1855
Crystal Palace exhibits in New York City and London made giant sequoias famous worldwide.

1864
Creation of Yosemite State Reserve including the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees.

1872
Asa Gray delivered American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) keynote address: "Sequoia and Its History."

1876
John Muir wrote the AAAS report, "On the Post-Glacial History of Sequoia Gigantea."

1879
Timber and Stone Act authorized sale of federal land at $2.50 per acre; thousands of acres of redwood timberland sold to private parties. Fraudulent use of Act was common.

1890
Creation of Sequoia National Park.
Creation of Yosemite National Park.
Creation of General Grant National Park.

1893
Creation of the Sierra Forest Reserve.

1902
California Redwood Park (later renamed Big Basin Redwoods State Park) established in Santa Cruz County as result of a spirited campaign led by the Sempervirens Club.

1907
U.S. Congressman William Kent of California donated Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County to the United States in honor of naturalist John Muir.

1911
U.S. Congressman John E. Raker of California introduced legislation to study the establishment of a redwood national park.

1916
National Park Service established. Stephen T. Mather appointed first Director.

1917
After witnessing logging devastation along The Redwood Highway, John C. Merriam, Henry Fairfield Osborn and Madison Grant launched the movement to save the redwoods.

1918
Save-the-Redwoods League established. League received first donations to purchase redwood land. Donors were Stephen T. Mather, E.C. Bradley, Madison Grant, Henry Fairfield Osborn and William Kent.

1919
Members of California Federation of Women's Clubs established women's Save-the-Redwoods League in Humboldt County.

National Park Service Director Steven T. Mather recommended creation of redwood national park.
Save-the-Redwoods League hired Newton B. Drury as its first Executive Secretary.

1920
Save-the-Redwoods League was incorporated as a California nonprofit corporation. Officers were Franklin K. Lane, President, who was then Secretary of the Interior; Joseph D. Grant, Chairman, Executive Committee; Robert G. Sproul, Treasurer; and Newton B. Drury, Executive Secretary.

U.S. Congress directed Interior Secretary to investigate suitable areas for a redwood national park. U.S. National Park Service and Save-the-Redwoods League conducted a survey of redwood forest areas that could be acquired for state or national park purposes.

1921
The first memorial grove was established in honor of Colonel Raynal C. Bolling, commemorating the first American Army officer of high rank to fall in World War I. The grove includes 100 acres of redwood forest on the South Fork of the Eel River.

California Governor William Stephens signed bill appropriating $300,000 for acquisition of redwood land adjacent to The Redwood Highway in Humboldt County.

John C. Merriam was elected President of Save-the-Redwoods League following the death of Franklin Lane.

1923
166 acres of redwood forest was donated for inclusion in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and named in honor of Humboldt County pioneers Joseph and Zipporah Russ.

1924
First acquisition made for Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park: 287-acre Henry S. Graves Grove, honoring the chief of the U.S. Forest Service.

1925
Save-the-Redwoods League established a California State Parks Committee, to be chaired by Duncan MacDuffie, to press for legislation creating a state park commission and mandating a survey of potential state park sites.

1927
California Governor C.C. Young signed legislation creating the California State Parks Commission and funding a state park survey by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

1928
California voters approved funds to establish a state park system and allocated $6 million in state park bond funds for acquisition of park lands. Save-the-Redwoods League led the campaign to win public approval of these bonds.

Olmsted's report of his state park survey was published. It served for many years as the blueprint for state park acquisitions and development.

1929
First grove donated for Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park: 44-acre Frank D. Stout Memorial Redwood Grove.

1931
League purchased 9,410-acre Rockefeller Forest from Pacific Lumber Company for Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

1934
Garden Club of America Grove dedicated in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

1940
Newton B. Drury went on a leave of absence from the League to serve as director of the National Park Service. His brother, Aubrey Drury, was appointed to serve as Secretary of Save-the-Redwoods League. Aubrey continued in that role from 1940 to 1959.

1945
National Tribute Grove at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park established in honor of the men and women who served in America's armed forces during World War II.

First grove donated for Montgomery Woods State Reserve in Mendocino County.

1951
Newton B. Drury left the National Park Service and was appointed chief of the California Division of Beaches and Parks.

1954
South Grove of giant sequoias acquired by Save-the-Redwoods League, the Calaveras Grove Association and the State of California as a major addition to Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

1959
Newton B. Drury retired from California Division of Beaches and Parks. Later that same year, Newton agreed to serve once again as Executive Secretary of the League, following the death of his brother, Aubrey.

1960
Avenue of the Giants Parkway dedicated in Humboldt Redwoods State Park after 40-year acquisition progress by the League.

1961
Save-the-Redwoods League, the Sierra Club, and the National Geographic Society revived the idea of a redwood national park.

1963
National Geographic Society funded a study of possible redwood national park sites.

1965
Save-the-Redwoods League acquired Gold Bluffs Beach and secured Fern Canyon for Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

1966
Smith River groves acquired for Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

1968
Major acquisitions along the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

50th anniversary of the Save-the-Redwoods League.

Redwood National Park established by Congress, including Tall Trees Grove along Redwood Creek, for a total of 58,000 acres, including 27,500 acres in three state parks (Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park).

1969
Lady Bird Johnson Grove dedicated in Redwood National Park.

1971
John B. Dewitt became the third Secretary of Save-the-Redwoods League.

1978
U.S. Congress passed Redwood National Park expansion bill to protect an additional 48,000 acres of redwood land, including more than 9,000 acres of old-growth redwood forest. Total cost of the park was about $1 billion.

1981
League purchased old-growth redwood grove at Partington Canyon for inclusion in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.

1988
League purchased Navarro River Redwoods State Park for the State of California, setting aside 12 miles of parklands along the Navarro River.

1989
Save-the-Redwoods League purchased a redwood grove and 2,000 acres of adjacent watershed land for addition to Fort Ross State Historic Park.

1991
League purchased 130 acres of old-growth redwood land for Sinkyone Wilderness State Park.

1993
75th anniversary of the Save-the-Redwoods League.

After many years of effort to avert the widening of the highway within the park, the Highway 101 bypass to the east of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park opened and the former highway within the park was dedicated as the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway.

1994
Save-the-Redwoods League purchased 700 acres on Big Sur Coast, now Limekiln State Park.

Save-the-Redwoods League purchased 400 acres from the University of California, Santa Cruz, preventing the sale of old-growth redwoods to a lumber company.

1995
Mary A. Angle became the fourth Secretary of the League.

1996
Save-the-Redwoods League purchased 2,300 acres, known as Gray Whale Ranch, on the Santa Cruz coast to be added to Wilder Ranch State Park.

1997
Save-the-Redwoods League negotiated an option to purchase the Coast Dairies property, 7,000 acres of coastal upland on the Santa Cruz County coast.

Save-the-Redwoods League purchased more than 500 acres of redwood land, including 200 acres of old growth, in Mattole River headwaters for Sinkyone Wilderness State Park.

1998
Save-the-Redwoods League purchased 690 acres and the Hartsook Inn in Garberville, Calif.

1999
League began work with local landowners to protect the Corridor from the Redwoods to the Sea, 3,800 acres of land linking Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the King Range National Conservation Area.

Katherine Anderton became the League's fifth Secretary and Executive Director.

2000
League purchased more than 4,785 acres of land.

League supported passage of nation's largest park bond including $10 million in matching contributions for the purchase of redwood forestland.

League's master plan was published in the form of The Redwood Forest, edited by conservation biologist Reed Noss.

League secured $5 million in federal funding toward the acquisition of Dillonwood Grove, as well as the legislation granting a park boundary adjustment of Sequoia National Park to include Dillonwood.

2001
Save-the-Redwoods League succeeded in purchasing the 1,540-acre Dillonwood giant sequoia grove and transferred it to Sequoia National Park.

2002
League purchased 25,000-acre Mill Creek Watershed. With a grant from the California Coastal Conservancy, the League developed an interim management plan for Mill Creek.

2003
League unveiled its strategic plan for 2003 through 2008.

League purchased one of the few remaining stands of unprotected ancient redwoods near Butano State Park. This 80-acre purchase secures nesting habitat for the marbled murrelet.

League added 160 acres to the Corridor from the Redwoods to the Sea, expanding linkages between Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the King Range National Conservation Area.

League added a 1-acre holding to Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

League completed the purchase of 581 acres on the slopes above the Eel River. The acquisition protects the magnificent ancient redwoods of the Whittemore Grove.

League awarded 13 statewide education grants to support redwood education and understanding.

League published age-appropriate educational materials to further support redwood education and understanding among K-12 students.

Through the generous contribution of ad space from several magazines, Save-the-Redwoods League reached more than 7 million readers.

2006
Ruskin Hartley became the League's sixth Secretary and Executive Director.

2007
1000th memorial/honor grove established.

Completion of last of four regional plans that comprise the Master Plan for the Redwoods.

2008
League's 90th anniversary.

Since its establishment, the League has assisted in the purchase of more than 180,000 acres of California land.