Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
{{short description|State park in northern California, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
| iucn_category =
| photo = Stout Memorial Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in 2011 (22).JPG
| photo_caption = Stout Memorial Grove
| map = USA California#USA
| relief = 1
| location = Del Norte County, California, United States
| nearest_city = Crescent City, California
| coordinates = {{coord|41|46|54|N|124|6|2|W|region:US-CA|display=inline, title}}
| area = {{convert|10430|acre|ha}}
| established = 1929
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| governing_body = California Department of Parks and Recreation
}}
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, preserving old-growth redwoods along the Smith River. It is located along U.S. Route 199 approximately {{convert|9|mi|km}} east of Crescent City. The park is named after explorer Jedediah Smith, and is one of four parks cooperatively managed as Redwood National and State Parks.{{cite web |title=Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park |url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=413 |publisher=California State Parks |access-date=2012-07-03}} The other parks include the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, and Redwood National Park. The {{convert|10430|acre|ha|adj=on}} park was established in 1929{{cite journal |title=California State Park System Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 2009/10 |url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/795/files/09-10%20statistical%20report%20final%20online.pdf |publisher=California State Parks |page=26 |access-date=2012-07-03}} and designated part of the California Coast Ranges International Biosphere Reserve in 1983.{{cite web|title=U.S. Biosphere Reserves|publisher=National Park Service|url=http://npshistory.com/publications/mab/us-biosphere-reserves.pdf|access-date=22 May 2016}}
History
The park was named after explorer Jedediah Smith, who was the first American to travel, by land, from the Mississippi River to California in 1826, passing through the area of the future park.{{cite book |last=Sinotte |first=Barbara |title=California: A Guide to the State & National Parks |date=1 June 1996 |publisher=Hunter Publishing, Inc |isbn=978-1-55650-733-5}}
The original Tolowa people depended on the resources of the Smith River and the redwood forests. They used the forest for shelter, tools, and cultural practices. Archeological discoveries have found evidence of human occupation dating back over 8,000 years.{{Cite web |last=Tushingham |first=Shannon |date=2013 |title=Publications in Cultural Heritage: Archaeology, Ethnography and Tolowa Heritage at Red Elderberry Place, Chvn-su lh-dvn Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park |url=https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/22491/files/CA_State_Parks_Archaeological_Report_Vol30_JedediahSmith.pdf |access-date=October 22, 2024 |website=California State Parks}} Descendants of the Tolowa still live in the region and preserve many of their traditions.
Ecology
The park consists of {{convert|9500|acre|ha}} of redwood trees, including several groves of old growth trees. One of the groves, totaling {{convert|5000|acre|ha}}, includes the world's largest (not tallest) coast redwood, which measures {{convert|20|ft|m}} in diameter and {{convert|340|ft|m}} tall.
The Smith River, which flows through the park, is home to rainbow trout and salmon, black bears, black-tailed deer, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons and other mammals.
The Smith River is the last major undammed river in California. Within the park, the river is rather undisturbed and holds the state record for the largest steelhead rainbow trout, weighing over {{convert|27|lb}}.
The park plays a large role in preserving a spawning and migration route for the fish, which face threats of habitat degradation in other parts of California.
Conservation efforts
In the mid-1900s, Jedediah Smith Redwood Park was part of a larger discussion on preserving California coastal redwoods. During the 1960s, conservationists and policymakers argued over allowing the lumber industry to gain access to the forests.{{Cite journal |last=Nelson |first=Bryce |date=1966 |title=The Coast Redwoods: Struggle over National Park Proposals |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1719785 |journal=Science |volume=153 |issue=3744 |pages=1620–1623 |doi=10.1126/science.153.3744.1620 |jstor=1719785 |pmid=17802631 |bibcode=1966Sci...153.1620N |issn=0036-8075}}
In 1966, President Lyndon B Johnson proposed a Redwood National Park which would include the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park and surrounding land to protect the old growth forests. Notably, the Save-the-Redwoods League advocated for state-level conservation efforts that collaborated with lumber companies rather than federal-level efforts. The Miller Redwood Company was one of many key players who opposed the park’s creation due to the potential loss of jobs.{{Cite journal |last=Schrepfer |first=Susan R. |date=1980-04-01 |title=Conflict in Preservation: The Sierra Club, Save-the-Redwoods League, and Redwood National Park |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/4004500 |journal=Journal of Forest History |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=60–77 |doi=10.2307/4004500 |jstor=4004500 |issn=0094-5080}} Jedediah Smith Redwood Park played a large role in the redwood conservation movement.
Recreation
The park consists of {{convert|18|mi|km}} of hiking trails and over 100 campsites. Mill Creek flows through the park and merges with the Smith River near the campground. In the warm season, a seasonal bridge is placed across Mill Creek for easier access to Mill Creek Trail and one end of Hiouchi Trail.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=413 Official Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park website]
- [http://www.nps.gov/redw/ Redwood National and State Parks]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100824075436/http://www.ncria.org/ North Coast Redwood Interpretive Association]
- [https://visitdelnortecounty.com/ Official Visitor Website for Del Norte County]
{{commons category|Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park|
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park|position=left}}
{{Clear}}
{{Protected areas of California|SP}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Redwood National and State Parks
Category:Parks in Del Norte County, California
Category:State parks of California