Some Redwood History

Sequoia Sempervirens, or Coastal Redwood as we know it, only grows in a 500 mile stretch along the Pacific Coast of North America starting from Monterey County in the south to the very southern tip of Oregon in the north. Usually found in the mountains where incoming moisture off of the ocean is greater, Coastal Redwood grows at an elevation ranging from 100 - 2,500 feet. This native area provides a unique environment with heavy seasonal rains (98 in. average) annually. Cool coastal air and fog drip keep this forest consistently damp year round.

          The Redwood forest in Humboldt County extends in an irregular but compact belt from the Southern to Northern borders.This belt grows parallel to and near the coast, in a strip 108 miles long and averaging about five miles in width.

The manufacturing of lumber in Humboldt County began in 1850. Initially these harvests were confined to pine, spruce, and fir due to the great size and weight of Redwood logs and the primitive facilities and technology of that early date. In 1855 the first cargo of Redwood lumber was sawn and shipped to San Francisco. In 1862, the use of circular saw was implemented. In 1886 the band saw began to replace the circular saw, and eventually all the mills in the county were outfitted with them.

(To be continued)...........

Check back next week. I will talk about the logging camps and logging operations from the 1870's to 1950's.