Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-01-29
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Jan. 20.


One of the most public spirited
gifts ever made to the government
has come from William Kent of Chi
cago, who has just deed to the Unit
ed States 295 acres of primeval red
wood forest on the southern slope
of Mt. Tamalpais, about six miles
from the city of San Francisco. The
land is decided to the government
with the approval of Forester Gift
ford Pinchot, chief of the United
States forest service. The papers
have now gone to the secretary of
the interior and a proclamation de-
claring the canyon national monu-
ment will be made at an early date.
This means that more of Califor-
MAS redwood giants will be saved
for scientific study and pleasure of
the whole country, in fact the whole
world, for the great sequois are only
found in the Golden state. This
grove given to the government by
Mr.. Kent is one of the only tracts
of redwood forests to be found in
its natural state in California to-
day.
The land is said to hav ecost Mr..
Kent $4,000 some years ago, but
its stand Of redwood alone is now
valued at more than $4,000 on the
market.
The canyons of Tamalpias which
drain into the San Francisco bay,
were cut clean years ago and the
redwood obtained from them went
into the construction of tn old San
Francisco. The giants on the tract
to be known as Muir Woods escaped
the ak, however, chiefly because the
outlet is on the ocean side instead
of on the bay side, and also because
the various owners of the land have
for sentimental reasons, jealousy
guarded the timber from harm or
destruction. Modern methods Of
logging would make short work of
the timber. and would, besides, put
a handsome profit into the hands of
the owners.
It is the intention to name the ma
tional monument Muir Woods"
after John Muir. the noted natural
1 list.
i The giants of Redwood Canyon
will now be given permanent protec-
tion by virtue of the act of June g.,
1906, which provides that objects
OF scientific interest may be declared
I national monuments If such action
/ is deemed necessary for their pro-
lection and preservation. This 295
acre tract will be pleasure ground
as we'll as a place for scientific
. study for the practically for the
the whole of California, for within
/ radius OF So miles of the canyon
two-thirds of the population of the
entire state are conferred.
The chief reason for the perma-
nent protection of the land by the
government is that there is no other
! redwood grove in the whole world
more accessible to SO many people.
The canyon is in absolutely prime
val condition, not so much as scratch
ed by. the hands of man. 1t lies
within an hours ride of San Fran
cisco. at the very door of hundreds
of thousands of people.
So long as the land remains in
private ownership there is always
/ danger that the trees wi be at
tackled, and Mr.. Kent feared this,
but as a national monument they
will be safe for all times. There are
of course, many finer stands of red
wood in California, but there are NO
typical groves owned by the United
States nor are there any which
might be acquired by the govern
ment except at great expense.
Originally this land was part OF
the old Spanish grant. Rancho
Sausalito.' Mr.. Kent purchased
the land some years ago for the sum
of $4,000. To insure the preser-
walton of the redwoods for the in
struction and enjoyment of all the
people for the years to come he has
now decided the tract to the United
States as gift. The largest red
woods are IS feet in diameter
at the butt and will aDnroach three
hundred feet in height, rising with
perfectly straight and clean stems
AS none of the big trees have beer
cut, their age is, of course, some
what problametical, but it is SAFE
to say that the veterans have stood
for one thousand or fifteen hundred
years.
The total stand of redwood rough