Mendocino Woodlands

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=443 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendocino_Woodlands_State_Park The Mendocino Woodlands State Park is a group camping facility located at 39350 Little Lake Road, Mendocino County, California, seven miles (11 km) inland from the town of Mendocino. It was built as a Recreational Demonstration Area by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Mendocino Woodlands consists of approximately 700 acres (2.8 km2) of land along the Little North Fork of the Big River and is surrounded to the north, east, and west by the 50,000-acre (200 km²) Jackson Demonstration State Forest. To the south, the park abuts the Big River State Park.

Mendocino Woodlands 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. The idyllic setting and rustic redwood buildings of historic Mendocino Woodlands create a peaceful forested retreat. California State Parks supports equal access. Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who need assistance should contact the park operator at (707) 937-5755. This publication can be made available in alternate formats. Contact interp@parks.ca.gov or call (916) 654-2249. 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 Discover the many states of California.™ SaveTheRedwoods.org/csp Mendocino Woodlands State Park 39350 Little Lake Rd., Mendocino, CA 95460 (707) 937-5755 www.mendocinowoodlands.org © 2013 California State Parks A long the Little North Fork of Big River, Mendocino Woodlands State Park sits tucked among 720 acres of secondand third-growth redwoods. Mendocino’s ancient coast redwoods grew to heights up to 370 feet—Earth’s tallest trees. Organized groups can reserve time to camp within the hushed forest and enjoy the park’s historic buildings. Day users can hike in the recreational area and adjoining forest. PARK HISTORY Native People Northern Pomo groups once lived inland and traveled through this area. At the mouth of Big River—west of Mendocino Woodlands—the Northern Pomo built a summertime village called Buldam. Spanish and Russian colonists landed on the coastal Pomo territory in the early 1800s. Thereafter, Pomo lands were taken by Mexican land grantees and arriving settlers seeking their fortunes from gold or lumber. Once their permanent villages were usurped, the Pomo first moved to Buldam. Those native people who survived rampant disease epidemics were soon rounded up and forced to live on reservations at Mendocino and later in Round Valley. The Pomo were imprisoned with other native people from the Yuki, Wailaki, Concow, Nomlaki, and Achumawi/Pit River tribes. Their land was never returned. Works Progress Administration Construction During the Great Depression following the financial crisis of 1929, employment plummeted. Many Americans lost their homes and farms. President Franklin Roosevelt put New Deal programs in place to stimulate employment, relocate people to better farmland, and conserve existing natural resources. One program planned construction of 46 Recreation Demonstration Areas (RDAs) across the country. These rural recreation camps would then be turned over to each of their respective states. WPA crewmen working on The National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Forest Service recreation hall roof, ca. 1938 hired several hundred thousand young men, known as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), to build the camps. The NPS purchased 5,245 acres for the Mendocino Woodlands Recreation Demonstration Area in 1935. The existing logging camps, school and hotel at the site were razed for the RDA. Local craftsmen and laborers hired by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), aided by CCC workers, then erected more than 120 buildings, cabins, and other “park rustic” structures, using local redwood and native stone. The NPS turned the Mendocino Woodlands RDA over to the State of California in 1947. In 1949, the nonprofit Mendocino Woodlands Camp Association was founded to manage and maintain the facility. A narrow 700-acre river corridor became Mendocino Woodlands State Park in 1976. Of America’s 46 WPA- and CCC-built RDA camps, Mendocino Woodlands is one of only two to maintain its historic integrity, artistic significance and original usage. The park was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997. Crewmen and tent campsites, ca. 1938 area is sandstone bedrock interspersed with siltstone and shale. Logging Engine No. 1 along Big River Today’s surviving Pomo live on 20 “rancherias” in Mendocino, Sonoma, and Lake counties, where they practice their ancient customs and cultural traditions. Logging Era Cargo salvagers from the 1850 Frolic shipwreck off the Mendocino shores saw the economic potential of coast redwood timber. Along Big River, roads were soon graded to build logging camps, a hotel and a school. Bull and oxen teams dragged huge redwood logs to the river, where they floated downstream to the Mendocino Lumber mill at Big River’s mouth. In 1893, railroads replaced livestock. After the old-growth trees were gone, the mill closed in 1938. NATURAL HISTORY Climate The moderate coastal climate varies only about 15º each day. Winter rain and some morning or evening fog is common. High temperatures reach into the 80s, while winter temperatures may dip below the 40s. Geo