Muir Woods National Monument - Mill Valley, California - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Muir Woods National Monument was established by President Theodore Roosevelt on January 8, 1908, the tenth National Monument designated under the Antiquities Act of 1906.

From the Historic Place Nomination Summary:

Muir Woods National Monument was established by President Theodore Roosevelt on January 8, 1908 through Proclamation 793 (35 Stat. 2174), the tenth National Monument designated under the Antiquities Act of 1906. The monument, established through a gift of private land by William Kent and Elizabeth Thacher Kent, preserves the heart of a rare surviving old-growth redwood forest in Marin County, California, a short distance north from the City of San Francisco. In 1917, administration of Muir Woods was transferred within the Department of Interior from the General Lands Office to the newly created National Park Service. In 1921, based on additional gifts of land by the Kents, Muir Woods National Monument was expanded under the Antiquities Act through Proclamation 1608 (42 Stat. 2249) and again in 1935 through Proclamation 2122 (49 Stat. 3443) (see district sketch map). Further expansions were made, primarily to provide buffer and administrative support areas in 1951 (Proclamation 2932, 65 Stat. C20) and 1959 (Proclamation 3311, 72 Stat. C76). Another parcel was legislatively added to the Muir Woods National Monument park unit for administrative support purposes in 1972, but was not given National Monument status. Muir Woods National Monument is today administered as part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and is a popular tourist attraction in the San Francisco Bay Area, attracting annual visitation of more than 750,000.

The nominated property includes the original monument parcel and lands added in 1921 and 1935. This property embraces the heart of the old-growth redwood forest and the cultural core of the monument that extends along the canyon floor. This core, following the main trail and Redwood Creek, includes the largest trees, groves, memorials, and visitor facilities. The nominated property includes all federally-owned parcels given National Monument designation through the end of the period of significance in 1947, including the original monument tract, and the Hamilton, Kent, Railway, and Entrance Tracts. Excluded from the nominated property are the 1951, 1959, and 1974 additions (Kent West Buffer, Kent Entrance, and Church Tracts, the state-leased parking lot parcel, and the Camino del Canyon Tract). Adjoining state-owned lands that historically functioned as extensions of the national monument are excluded from the nominated property. These lands include the Parking Lot Tract leased by the National Park Service that is within the current National Monument boundary as expanded in 1951, and the former Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway Tract that is outside of the monument boundary.

The nominated property overall retains integrity to its period of significance that begins in 1907 and ends in 1947. Of the seven aspects of integrity, those most important to Muir Woods are location, setting, materials, feeling, and association. Primary resources include the redwood forest (a natural resource that has gained cultural significance) with its old-growth character and major spaces including Bohemian and Cathedral Groves; memorials associated with important individuals in the American conservation movement; a trail system reflecting the use and organization of the site dating back to the earliest years of the monument; and buildings, structures, and objects dating prior to World War II that reflect a rustic aesthetic and conservation practices characteristic of National Park Service development during the first half of the twentieth century. Since the end of the period of significance, changes that have affected the historic integrity of the property include the removal of comfort stations dating from the 1920s and 1930s; alterations to the 1940 Administration-Concession Building; removal of log footbridges, signs, and benches built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC); deterioration of stone revetments along Redwood Creek; and realignment and surface changes to sections of trails. These changes have affected some details of the property, but not its overall character. Within the nominated property are thirty-five contributing resources and fourteen non- contributing resources. Associated landscape features (features not counted as resources) include minor non-historic footbridges, contemporary site furnishings (benches, signs, trash bins), boardwalks, and split-rail trail fencing.

Street address: Muir Woods Road Mill Valley, California USA 94941 County / Borough / Parish: Marin County Year listed: 2008 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event; Conservation Periods of significance: 1925-1949, 1900-1924 Historic function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic, Landscape, Recreation And Culture Current function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic, Landscape, Recreation And Culture Privately owned?: no Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2014 To: 12/31/2014 Hours of operation: From: 8:00 AM To: 5:00 PM Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   03/05/2022 Don.Morfe visited it 06/28/2005 Clown Shoes visited it

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