Photo Credit: Ricardo Alcalá
 
 Photo Credit: Darren Kumasawa 
 
 Photo Credit: Vicens Vila

Another example of a world-class destination found in our own backyard is Muir Woods. Described by John Muir as “the best tree-lover’s monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world,” Muir Woods is, indeed, a place worthy of admiration but one that often gets forgotten by us locals – unless we have out-of-town visitors to entertain or school-age children in need of a chaperone for the annual school field trip.

When was the last time you visited the centuries-old redwoods? Strained your neck to try and view the tops of the trees hundreds of feet up? Strolled under the lush green canopy and relished the crisp, damp air?

And how much do we locals know of the history behind the stunning national monument found so close to home?

We learned, for example, that in the late 1800s, a 70-foot statue modeled after the Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu) was erected in an area of the forest later to be known as the Bohemian Grove.

That in 1905, Congressman William Kent (son of Albert Kent, namesake of Kentfield) and his wife, Elizabeth Thacher Kent, bought 611 acres of redwood forest along Redwood Creek for $45,000. To protect the redwoods, Kent then donated 295 acres to the federal government, and requested the area be named after John Muir, the renowned conservationist .

That 1908 was the year President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Proclamation that made the land donated by Kent a National Monument. Roosevelt proposed changing the name of the land to the Kent Monument, but Kent graciously declined and insisted it be named after Muir. (To read correspondence among the three men, click here.)

Still another treasure in our backyard, just a bit farther north from Muir Woods, is the Armstrong Redwoods State National Reserve just outside Guerneville.

As with our spectacular coastline, rolling hills, scenic bay, and wine country riches, our majestic redwoods are another reason why we love where we live.

For more details and information about Muir Woods, visit the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the National Park Service.

Follow along as the full list unfolds – 100 Reasons Why We Love Where We Live

Follow the reasons on Facebook

Posted by:  Frank Howard Allen Realtors