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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