Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-06-12
PARK IN A REDWOOD FOREST.
The Most Unusual Playground in
America Given to San Francisco.

| ne SlN cltleS about San Francisco
! Bay are soon to possess the most
! usual playground III America. virgin
| forest of giant redwoudS standing with
IN two hours ride of the most distant of
the gift by William Kent, of Chicago, of
| 20 acres of the redwood tinlberlaud on
the north slopes of Mount Tamalpais to
| the United States government.
| Mr.. Kent made the gift under the act
| for the preservation of American
tiqui.ies OF 1906. He made the transfer
roration from getting possession Of
part Of the beautiful forest tract. in
order to construct d reservoir there
| The Department of the Interior will
| now take over the control of Muir Woods
| as the new park has been named by it's
donor, in honor of John Muir the forest
| lover and scientist.
| Muir Woods is part of what was once a
great tract of the Sempcryrens, or Cali
| fornia redwood that covered the Slopes
Of the big guardian mountain by tho
Colleen Gate and yelled all the canyons
thertafout away up to the broad Napa
Valley. With the sudden birth of San
Francisco on the sandhlls. this forest of
! beautiful conifers melted away Most Of
the smoke that filled the sky over san
Francisco just two years ago was from
| the millions of feet of redwood timber
that had been around the base OF Mount
TamalpaiS to make the miles IF frame
houses and little shops in the city across
| the hay.
All the beauties that lie hidden in the
shadow of a redwood forest Muir Woods
has. Within the small compass of the
2ao acres comprising the tract there are
fern brakes deep enough to screen nan
up to his shoulders, a brawlinG trout
stream, open. sunny places where the
scarlet peoples blotch t;,e brown hilsides
| in riotous extravaganza of color and
long. Swallowed ascs between the ire
| mendous trunks of the century old trees.
| The park is in long, twisted canyon.
one Of the grooves in the flank of Ta,nal
| pats. The upper part of the green slit
in the mountain is high up near the crest;
| its foot is near the breakers of the ocean.
For all the distance between there is
| nothing but the heavy grcenery of red
wood bay and manZanita shrub The
spaces between the tree trunks ar" choked
with wildwood and the heavy. dropping
| fronds of the giant California brake.
There is not Il spot. with the exception of
| the road that winds through the park.
/ that has been touched by the AK or the
grubbng hoe.
| One who wishes breath of the forest
| takes the SausAlito ferry at the San
| Francisco slip and is carried over the bay
w WI tne t direction of the big moq 1
| legend, with cniscled face and widely
| flowing hair is outlined ny the setting
sun each night of summer. ON the north
| waits.
THIS is said to he the crookelcst rail
road III the world. 1t climbs up to the
| twist and loop. disclosing more ana more
of the panorama of broad hay, mountain.
| and ocean as it aSc"nds. Half way mp
the mountain a spur track. very recently
completed, takes the passenger over lns
| shoulder of the ridge and down within
| striking distance of Muir Woods.
| Hero one finds himself nigh Zip over
the ocean. shut out from the bay by the
| rough shoulder of the mountan. Cali
| fornia and all its people are left behind
and the primitive land of the days before
even the padres came holds out its invl-
| ta:ion.
| Before the return Is made to San Fran
cisco and its clustering suburbs one last
oppol tunity offers. That is the ascent to
| the top of TamalDais and the hour OF
watching the smotheiing of all the land
and sea by the fog blanket.
AS certain as the dropping of the sun
is the coming Of the night fog in sum-
mer. It piles up against tna s"award
| the afternoon. and then before the sun
| mas set the damned up sea- of fog
| breaks through the Gate at the foot of
| Tamalpais and mandates Ill the bay
| region as far inland rs tho tulc marshes
at the confluence of the Sacramento and
| San joaquin rivers.
| From the top of the mountain high
above The waters of the bay the thrush
| of the fog appears to be- the food water
| Of a river bursting it's levec Swiftly all
the miles of rolling hills, blue bay water
ana yellow fields below are blotted out
by the cottOny white masses. and III the
! end nothing but the tps of naigaborng
| mountains appear like islands beaten by
! the surf
! Ihcn the sun pumps So suddenly into
| TINS smoky sea that spray of rainbow
| lrl.'escence seems to be cast up by his
| fall.