Grizzly Creek Redwoods

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=421 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_Creek_Redwoods_State_Park Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park harbors groves of coast redwoods in three separate units along the Van Duzen River. It is located 20 miles (32 km) south of Eureka, California, then another 17 miles (27 km) east of Fortuna on State Route 36. The small park was created by a donation from Owen R. Cheatham, founder of Georgia-Pacific Corporation, who wanted to preserve the stand of redwoods in perpetuity. Originally established in 1943, the park has grown to 430 acres (170 ha). Cheatham Grove, 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the main unit, was added to the park in 1983 due to efforts of the Save-the-Redwoods League.

Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park Our Mission The mission of California State Parks is to provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. Thanks to lumberman Owen R. Cheatham, these acres of redwoods were saved for all time  —  to inspire, dazzle, and awe many California State Parks supports equal access. Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who need assistance should contact the park at (707) 777-3683. If you need this publication in an alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov. CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS P.O. Box 942896 Sacramento, CA 94296-0001 For information call: (800) 777-0369. (916) 653-6995, outside the U.S. 711, TTY relay service www.parks.ca.gov SaveTheRedwoods.org/csp Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park 16949 Highway 36 Carlotta, CA 95528 (707) 777-3683 © 2011 California State Parks (Rev. 2015) future generations of park visitors. G rizzly Creek Redwoods State Park offers one another, they still shared many cultural a sense of seclusion and intimacy that has traits. Ethnographers have codified this endeared it to generations of visitors. Nearly region as a Northern California culture area. 30 miles inland from the coast, the lush, Native groups traded with each other; local green, 393-acre park is an unspoiled gem. objects such as ceremonial blades and shell Towering ancient redwoods guard three beads have been identified as far away as separate parcels of unspoiled riverfront. America’s Deep South and East Coast. Athabascan-speaking ceremonies PARK HISTORY often included multiple groups, and intermarriage between groups was common. California Indians Many local indigenous people spoke or still For thousands of years, native California speak two or more languages. Indians known as Nongatl lived in this area. With the coming of Europeans and The Nongatl speak Athabascan, a distinct Americans, native lands around the Van language family whose speakers range from Duzen River were turned into farms and the Arctic Circle, along the North American ranches. The new settlers insisted that the west coast from Alaska to Humboldt County. Indians be relocated, so U.S. Army troops Four distinct language families still exist from Fort Humboldt took the Nongatl in the local region: Athabascan, Algic, people to the Round Valley, Hupa Valley, Hokan, and Yukian. Though distinct from and Smith River Reservations in the 1860s. Many of these people eventually returned to their homelands, and the Rohnerville Rancheria was established north of Fortuna in 1910. Some descendants of the Nongatl belong to the Bear River One of many dedicated redwood groves Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, maintaining cultural and ancestral ties while retaining and practicing their own traditions. American Settlers In the late 1860s, the Van Duzen River area—named for New Jersey gold seeker James Van Duzen—was a stagecoach stopover and resort. When the State of California acquired the acreage in 1943, the river and its banks had long been popular with visitors. NATURAL RESOURCES Wildlife Black-tailed deer watch for bobcats or mountain lions. Tracks of California black bears, raccoons, and river otters may dot the river’s damp banks on any morning. Beautiful pileated woodpeckers hammer at the trees, in the company of dark-eyed juncos, northern spotted owls, winter wrens, and boisterous Steller’s jays. Great blue herons fish among the river rocks. Endangered marbled murrelets nest in the redwood canopy, but corvids (jays, crows, and ravens) prey upon their eggs and chicks. Please do not drop food or crumbs. Habitats Coast redwood trees dominate the park. Near the eastern boundary of the redwoods’ range, the trees rely on winter rains and morning fog for survival. As climate change accelerates, experts fear that diminished rain and fog may cause the loss of some redwoods as well as other plants and animals that depend on these forests. Some typical redwood understory plants include three-leaf white trillium, purple calypso orchids (lady slippers), fairy lanterns, wild ginger, and Douglas irises. Douglas-fir, tanoak, and big leaf maple trees grow among various ferns, mosses, wild huckleberries, and salal. Owen R. Cheatham Grove About four miles west of the visitor center, the ancient redwoods of Cheatham Grove stand among redwood sorrel. The beauty of this grove — named for Owen R. Cheatham, founder of what would become the GeorgiaPacific Plywood and Lumber Company — inspired Cheatham to spare the trees for others to enjoy. In 1983, thanks to the Save the Redwoods League, California State Parks acquired the Cheatham Grove, one of more than 1,000 dedicated redwood “honor” or memorial groves donated by League benefactors. RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES Camping — Grizzly Creek has 30 family sites, a group site, and on