Reynolds Wayside Campground | |
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Location | Mendocino County, California, US |
Coordinates | 39°56′40″N123°46′46″W / 39.94444°N 123.77944°W |
Created | 1966 |
Operator | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Reynolds Wayside Campground is a state park in Mendocino County, California, United States. The site, which contained a redwood grove, was purchased by Frank W. Reynolds and his wife in 1928 and converted into a resort known as Reynolds Redwood Flat in 1930. After Mr. Reynolds died in 1962, the site was leased until the California state government purchased it in 1966 as a memorial to Reynolds and to protect it from logging. Under state management, 50 campsites were constructed at the site, which was renamed to Reynolds State Recreation Area before taking its present name. In 1976, the campsites were removed, and the property was deemed surplus the next year. Much of the site's land was exchanged with a timber company for territory at Sinkyone Wilderness State Park in 1984. As of May 2021 [update] , Reynolds Wayside Campground contains 38 acres (15 ha) of land, including area for hiking and access to the Eel River.
Frank W. Reynolds, later a California forestry board member from 1941 to 1955, [1] purchased the site in 1928 due to its natural beauty. Consisting of 419 acres (170 ha) with frontage on the highway and property on both sides of the Eel River, the area included 97 acres (39 ha) of virgin redwood forest. In 1930, Reynolds and his wife constructed a resort known as Reynolds Redwood Flat at the site. Structures at the resort included 24 cabins, a two-story building, and a home for the Reynoldses. Mr. Reynolds died in April 1962, and the site was leased after his death. [2] In April 1965, the state forestry board approved a resolution to create a memorial to Reynolds. Mrs. Reynolds offered to sell Reynolds Redwood Flat to the state at a discount, and the forestry board noted that it would consider the preservation of the property as a memorial. California State Senator Frank S. Petersen introduced a bill to purchase 412 acres (167 ha) of the site, but the California division of parks and beaches objected. The division had already set a policy of preserving redwood trees through expanding existing sites, rather than establishing new ones. The state also stated that a planned freeway would cut through the site, but Petersen objected and stated that the roadway would only affect one edge of Reynolds Redwood Flat. [1]
After logging interests sought to buy the property, California Public Works purchased the site to preserve it. The government purchase was the result of a bill sponsored by state legislators Petersen and Frank P. Belotti. The Redwood Empire Association was credited by the Daily Independent Journal of San Rafael, California. [3] The purchase price was reported to be $230,000 for the land as well as $50,000 from the California Division of Highways to acquire right of way for roads. An April 26, 1966, article in the Ukiah Daily Journal reported that the purchase encompassed 419 acres with highway access and land on both sides of the Eel River, [2] while a May 13, 1966, article in the Daily Independent Journal stated that the purchase only consisted of 375 acres (152 ha) between the highway and the river. [3] After the purchase, the Redwoods Empire Association proposed preserving several of the buildings at the site and establishing a redwoods museum there. [4]
In 1967, the property, which had access from U.S. Route 101, was renamed to Reynolds State Recreation Area and designated for use as a recreational site. [5] That same year, 50 overnight campsites were added to the site. The park included amenities such as tables, stoves, and toilets, and carried a $1 per night fee. A private party operated concessions and souvenir facilities. [6] By 1969, USGS topographic maps identified the site as Reynolds State Wayside Campground. [7] The campsites were removed in 1976, [8] and the site was declared surplus in 1977. [9] The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors declined to purchase 270 acres (110 ha) of the surplus land later that year, preferring to see the land return to eligibility for property taxes. [10] In 1983, a bill created by state legislator Dan Hauser proposed exchanging 350 acres (140 ha) of land at the site, now known as Reynolds Wayside Campground, with Georgia-Pacific for 136 acres (55 ha) at Sinkyone Wilderness State Park and the construction of a hiking trail. The bill was opposed by preservationists who feared that Georgia-Pacific would log the redwood forest. [11] The exchange was set by 1984 and was for 130.7 acres (52.9 ha) to be transferred from Rex Timber, Inc. [12] (a subsidiary of Georgia-Pacific [13] ) to the Sinkyone site in exchange for 310 acres (130 ha) at Reynolds Wayside Campground. [12] As of May 2021 [update] , Reynolds Wayside Campground consists of 38 acres (15 ha). There is limited parking at the site, and hiking is allowed and access to the Eel River is provided. Camping is now prohibited. [8]
Mendocino County is a county located on the North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,601. The county seat is Ukiah.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, containing Rockefeller Forest, the world's largest remaining contiguous old-growth forest of coast redwoods. It is located 30 miles (48 km) south of Eureka, California, near Weott in southern Humboldt County, within Northern California, named after the great German nineteenth-century scientist, Alexander von Humboldt. The park was established by the Save the Redwoods League in 1921 largely from lands purchased from the Pacific Lumber Company. Beginning with the dedication of the Raynal Bolling Memorial Grove, it has grown to become the third-largest park in the California State Park system, now containing 51,651 acres (20,902 ha) through acquisitions and gifts to the state.
The Navarro River is a 28.3-mile-long (45.5 km) river in Mendocino County, California, United States. It flows northwest through the Coastal Range to the Pacific Ocean. The main stem of the Navarro River begins less than 1 mile (2 km) south of the town of Philo at the confluence of Rancheria Creek and Anderson Creek. The mouth of the Navarro is 10 miles (16 km) south of the city of Mendocino. State Route 128 starts from the intersection of State Route 1 at the mouth of the Navarro River, and follows the river valley upstream to Philo. The river is close to the highway through the lower canyon but is some distance south of the highway as the Anderson Valley widens upstream of Wendling.
Portola Redwoods State Park is a 2,800 acres (1,100 ha) state park in California situated in San Mateo County. The parks' primary watercourses — Peters Creek, Pescadero Creek and their associated tributaries — converge at Portola Redwoods State Park. Tip Toe Falls is a small waterfall along Fall Creek, a tributary of Pescadero Creek.
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Van Damme State Park is a public beach consisting of about 1,831 acres (7.41 km2) of land in Mendocino County, California, near the town of Little River on State Route 1. It was named for Charles F. Van Damme (1881–1934), who was born in the area and purchased the land that is now the park with profits from a San Francisco ferry business. On his death, the property became part of the California state park system.
Navarro River Redwoods State Park is a state park in Mendocino County, California, consisting of 660 acres (2.7 km2) of second-growth redwood forest in a narrow stretch 11 miles (18 km) long on both banks of the Navarro River, from the town of Navarro to the river's confluence with the Pacific Ocean.
Hendy Woods State Park is a California state park, located in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County. It is known for its old-growth coast redwoods and also provides camping facilities near the wineries of the Anderson Valley. It is named after Joshua Hendy, who owned the land and stipulated that it be protected; it passed through several owners after Hendy without being logged, before becoming part of the California State Park system in 1958.
The Lost Coast is a mostly natural and undeveloped area of the California North Coast in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, which includes the King Range. It was named the "Lost Coast" after the area experienced depopulation in the 1930s. In addition, the steepness and related geotechnical challenges of the coastal mountains made this stretch of coastline too costly for state highway or county road builders to establish routes through the area, leaving it the most undeveloped and remote portion of the California coast. Without any major highways, communities in the Lost Coast region such as Petrolia, Shelter Cove, and Whitethorn are somewhat isolated from the rest of California.
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Jackson Demonstration State Forest is a public forest in Mendocino County, California managed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It is the largest demonstration forest operated by the State of California. The forest land, located along California State Highway 20 between Willits and the coastal city of Fort Bragg, was formerly owned by Caspar Lumber Company. The forest holds sacred value as an ancestral home and ceremonial site for the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
Richardson Grove State Park is located at the southernmost border of Humboldt County, 75 miles (121 km) south of Eureka, California, United States, and 200 miles (320 km) north of San Francisco. The year-round park, which has approximately 2,000 acres (8.1 km2), straddles US 101, causing the narrowest point of its entire distance. Said to have the 9th largest tree of all remaining Coast Redwoods, it is known for swimming on the South Fork of the Eel River and day use in addition to 159 campsites.
The Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of Pomo Indians in California.
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Smithe Redwoods State Natural Reserve is a California state park in Mendocino County. In the early 20th century, the site was purchased by Mulford Miller and W. A. S. Foster, before passing into the hands of W. S. Ware and Lester Goble in 1940. Originally a site known as Lane's Redwood Flat, the area contained cabins, a store, a post office, and a bus stop during that incarnation. In 1963, the site was proposed to be sold to a logging company, but instead entered the jurisdiction of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The South Fork Eel River passes through the park, which contains a waterfall, as well as sites for recreation on the river and picnicking.
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