Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
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 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. The other parks include the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, and Redwood National Park. The park was established in 1929 and designated part of the California Coast Ranges International Biosphere Reserve in 1983.
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.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. Descendants of the Tolowa still live in the region and preserve many of their traditions.
Ecology
The park consists of of redwood trees, including several groves of old growth trees. One of the groves, totaling, includes the world's largest coast redwood, which measures in diameter and 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.
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.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. Jedediah Smith Redwood Park played a large role in the redwood conservation movement.