A large group of visitors in front of the trees at Cathedral Grove in the Muir Woods National Monument.
Photo circa 1915. SUBMITTED PHOTO
The 100th anniversary of the creation of the Muir Woods National Monument was celebrated recently at the temple-like grove of giant redwoods in Marin County, nestled between the coast and the ridge above Mill Valley. Truly “heaven on earth,” as Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey called the monument, Muir Woods is of special historic significance.
Muir Woods was the first outright gift of land by a private family for a federal monument or park. William Kent, who had migrated west with his parents, owners of a major meat-packing outfit, had recently returned from several years in Chicago. His wife, Elizabeth Thacher Kent, had purchased 611 acres of the coastal land for $45,000 to add to their Marin County holdings that included a good portion of what is now Kentfield.
The Kents (most histories mention only William and forget that Elizabeth was the moving spirit in acquiring the land) had a dual purpose in making the donation. They wanted to contribute to the efforts of William’s good friend President Theodore Roosevelt in his crusade to preserve national scenic treasures and they also wanted to block the attempt of Sausalito to obtain the property for a water reservoir. It’s hard to believe that short-sighted local officials wanted to drown the greatest stand of the giant redwoods in order to fill the bathtubs of Sausalito.
Both practically and symbolically, the creation of the Muir Woods National Monument was a tremendous boost to the conservation movement. Roosevelt originally proposed that it be called the Kent National Monument, but William Kent insisted that it be named for famed naturalist John Muir in recognition of his untiring efforts to preserve the wonders of the west. It was also significant that the donation was to the federal rather than state government, guaranteeing that it would be under the protection of the forestry and land management agencies put in place by Roosevelt and the progressives of both parties.
The tallest of the trees (called either Giant Redwoods or Sequoias) is over 250 feet, and the total grove is approached in number of such trees only by the Sequoia National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and by the so-called “Avenue of the Redwoods” along Highway 101 in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. The oldest redwood tree in the park existed at the time of Christ. One particularly interesting exhibit is the huge cross-cut of a Sequoia trunk with the rings marked as to when the tree was growing: birth of Christ, Columbus arriving in the Americas, Declaration of Independence and so on. It is humbling to consider the life span of man compared to that of the trees.
The number of redwood trees in the west, the only area where they grew, had been sharply diminished in the prior half-century in the rush to use the sturdy wood in new building following the Gold Rush invasion. Preservation and control of redwood groves had to start before the land would be denuded and these monarchs lost forever.
On May 19, 1945, during the founding session of the United Nations in San Francisco, the delegates ventured to Muir Woods, where a ceremony was held honoring President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who had first proposed the U.N. and died only a month earlier on April 12, 1945. These world leaders could experience nature’s grandeur, which was one reason for creating an instrument of world cooperation. By that time decent access roads had been built to the woods over the ridge above Mill Valley and then down into the great grove.
One related fact omitted from the accounts of the Kents’ historic gift is that they also gave extensive lands to form the heart of the Marin Municipal Water District, including several existing lakes and canyons, which could form reservoirs. The result is that the people of Marin County own their water supply. For most of its history, a member of the Kent family has sat on the board of the MMWD.
William Kent was elected to Congress in 1910 and served three terms, first as a Republican, then as a “Bull Moose” and finally as an independent. Democrat President Woodrow Wilson appointed him to the Tariff Commission after his Congressional service.
All of the next generation of Kents had active careers and were enthusiastic conservationists. Roger Kent, who lived in the magnificent family Victorian mansion in the heart of their development, Kent Woodlands, was a Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer, executive to Admiral “Bull” Halsey during World War II, general counsel to the Defense Department, and State Chair of the Democratic Party. Sherman Kent was director of research for the C.I.A. when its reputation was unsullied, and its building is named in his honor. Adeline Kent was an outstanding artist; a school in Kentfield bears her name.
Annual attendance at Muir Woods tops 770,000 visitors. Camping is not permitted, but arrangements can be made for a wedding among the giants, and extensive learning experiences are offered.
History buffs or nature enthusiasts (which includes most people) should look at the list of “closings” in the Governor’s recently proposed state budget. It is fortunate that Muir Woods is a federal monument since Armstrong Redwoods, Del Norte Redwoods, Grizzly Creek Redwoods and Portola Redwoods are all on that list. Suggested closures of historic buildings and museums include Benicia Capitol, California State Mining and Mineral Museum, the old Governor’s Mansion, La Purisima Mission (Lompoc), William Randolph Hearst Memorial, Petaluma Adobe, State Indian Museum, Sutter’s Fort, the adobe home of William B. Ide (President of the California Republic), and San Simeon. William and Elizabeth Kent, Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir would not be happy; somehow, we have lost our values.
Gerald Hill is co-author with his wife, Kathleen Thompson Hill, of six books on wine regions of the West Coast, including Sonoma Valley – the Secret Wine County, the People’s Law Dictionary, Facts on File Dictionary of American Politics, and the Encyclopedia of Federal Agencies and Commissions, and has taught American Government and Politics at University of British Columbia and Sonoma State University. In addition to his Hill on History columns, his program Hill on History is broadcast on KSVY 91.3 Sonoma at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays.
