Review by Will Yaryan (September 27, 2006)
Some years ago, when I was suffering from a broken body and heart, I sought healing along the river pathways and among
the cathedrals of tall trees in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The 1,750 acres of redwoods, riparian forest,
sandhill and grassland communities were practically in my back yard in the Santa Cruz Mountains and it did not take
very long to reach the burbling waters of the San Lorenzo River, the park's sun-kissed meadows and the calming shade
under redwoods, sycamores, bay laurel and oaks. Even before that, I had often celebrated Christmas Day with a
family hike along Fall Creek and up to the ruins of a lime kiln in the northern unit of Henry Cowell, a 2,390 acre
section added to the park in 1972, over 40 years after Henry Cowell had first been established as Big Trees County
Park.
As parks go, Henry Cowell is dwarfed by the much larger state and federal redwood parks in northern California, and it
sits in the shadow of Big Basin State Park, its cousin to the north, the first state park in California established in
1902. But Henry Cowell has it unique delights, and a new book co-authored by Robert W. Piwarzyk and Michael
Miller, Valley of Redwoods: A Guide to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park does a wonderful job of telling this
story. What is particularly interesting about the way Piwarzyk and Miller present the park is their inclusion of
cultural history on a par with natural history, something you don't see that often in park guides. In fact, when
the property of Nisene Marks south of Santa Cruz was deeded to the state for a redwoods park it was specified that all
cultural traces should be removed before the park was open to the public. And the fact that Nisene Marks was
logged almost to extinction by a city of workers, complete with homes, stores and schools, was largely hidden from a
public conditioned to seeing nature unadulterated. But just as new generations of nature lovers have spurned
dance floors made out of tree stumps, and deer feeding for the benefit of campers, visitors to California's parks today
are learning that nature and culture are inextricably combined. Piwarzyk and Miller's new book makes a major
contribution in this respect.
Valley of Redwoods, which is published by the Mountain Parks Foundation, begins with natural history, starting
with a geological review situating the park on the east side of Ben Lomond Mountain in the gorge of the San Lorenzo
River near the town of Felton, 13 miles north of Santa Cruz. There is a good map of the main park (but the Fall
Creek section is lamentably missing). Four natural aspects of the park are described (and beautifully
illustrated): Redwood Forest, Riparian Corridor, Sandhill Community, and Grassland Community. Both flora and fauna are
included.
Cultural history in the park goes back 10,000 years and for most of that time the Ohlone Indian people lived in
relative peace. The authors trace modern history from the arrival of the Spanish in 1769 through the settlement
of the San Lorenzo Valley in the mid 19th century when loggers and tanners, as well as paper, gunpowder and lime
producers, found the area to their liking. The history of the park itself begins with Lt. John Charles Fremont's
fabled visit in 1846 when he slept in the hollow of a redwood tree which forever bears his name. The small
redwood grove remains preserved only because its value for tourism exceeded the profit that might have been made from
logging. A succession of tourist destinations, from Welch's Big Trees Grove to today's Roaring Camp, have
educated generations of conservationists.
Until the publication of this handsome book, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park had publicized its riches through
mimeographed and cheaply produced trail guides. And the book makes a welcome complement to the new Visitor Center
which was recently given a magnificent makeover by the Mountain Parks Foundation. Piwarzyk, who wrote the text,
once discovered a lengthy shovel used in a lime kiln buried under a pile of dirt and straightened it for the Visitor
Center. He has written extensively on local history and his work will be included in Lime Kiln Legacies: The
History of the Lime Industry in Santa Cruz County which will be published by the Museum of Art & History next
spring. Miller took many of the photographs and collected additional drawings and photographs from notable area
artists and photographers. He also was responsible for the design and production. Piwarzyk and Miller's
efforts will make a visit to the park much more enjoyable and informative. And if you're in need of healing, the
park is a wonderful physician.
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