Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Ranchers and homesteaders pre-empted most of the lands bordering on Prairie Creek, north of Orick, in the 1880s and 1890s, with the rest of the area now included in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park being staked out as mining and timber claims. The first parcel of land acquired within the boundary of today's park was deeded to California in 1923, as a gift from the pioneer Joseph Russ family of Humboldt County. This 160-acre tract was destined to be known as the Joseph Zipporah Russ Memorial Grove. Several years later, Humboldt County acquired the Roberts Tract (160 acres) and deeded it to the state.
As of March 15, 1932, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park extended from Boyes Prairie northward to the Del Norte County Line, a distance of seven miles; and from the ridge separating the Prairie Creek basin from the Klamath River watershed on the east to a ridge parallel to and one-half mile west of the Redwood Highway.
To successfully discharge its mission, the Save-the-Redwoods League in the years since it was founded in 1918 had raised over $10,000,000 from public spirited people. These funds had been matched by the State to purchase more than 100,000 acres of coast redwoods. Persons contributing substantial sums to enable the League to fund its land acquisition program could request that memorial groves be set aside. These groves would be accessible by either roads or trails, have a memorial plaque, and benches adjacent to the plaque. By January 1, 1965, there were 93 memorial groves in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, totaling over 5,000 acres, and set aside to honor those who had contributed over two and one-half million dollars "to preserve this area for the enjoyment of the American people for all time."
