The Story Behind Those California Redwood Memorial Groves
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Those Signs and Plaques in Northern California Redwoods — The Story Behind the Memorial Redwood Groves
For more than a century the Save the Redwoods League has been buying and preserving groves of Northern California Redwoods.
How do they fund this on-going effort?
“Since 1921 more than 1000 redwood Memorial Groves have been established in thirty of California’s beautiful redwood parks, the League website reports. “Each grove provides an everlasting memorial to an individual, family or organization. Funds raised through this program have been a critical part of the financial support that has made the League so successful over the years.”
To date, 39 memorial groves have been established in Mendocino County, including sites at Navarro Redwoods State Park, Hendy Woods State Park, and Montgomery Woods State Reserve – all an easy drive from Fort Bragg, California. Montgomery Woods boasts the world’s third largest California redwood at 366 feet (the tallest, the Hyperion, is listed at 379 feet).
The First Memorial Grove
The first grove memorial established locally was the Dyar Grove at Montgomery Woods State Reserve in 1946. The latest are the Tony Husch and Phillips Family Groves established in 2008.
Donations vary, based on the size and age of the trees, density of forest coverage, acreage, accessibility and location, according to the Save the Redwoods League. Grove gifts begin at $25,000. To learn more, click here.
Fort Bragg area memorial groves including the following:
| Tony Husch Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 2008 | ||||||
| Phillips Family Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 2008 | ||||||
| The Shirley & Farrel Schell Family Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 2007 | ||||||
| Edward E. Becker Grove, In memory of his mother, Luella S. Baker | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 2007 | ||||||
| The Hull and Maidment Family Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 2006 | ||||||
| The Fredrick Monford Herrera Grove | Montgomery Woods State Reserve | 2006 | ||||||
| Charmin and David Knock Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 2004 | ||||||
| James L. Boone & Joseph J. Bucuaao Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 2003 | ||||||
| The Neal Family Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 2002 | ||||||
| Elizabeth Harris Taylor and John D. Taylor Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 2001 | ||||||
| George and Mary Gardner Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 1999 | ||||||
| M. Brock and Jean Weir Memorial Grove | Montgomery Woods State Reserve | 1997 | ||||||
| Lillie Flebbe and Dorothy Flebbe-Rives Grove | Hendy Woods State Park | 1995 | ||||||
| Giuseppe, Amelia and Emilio Segre Memorial Grove | Hendy Woods State Park | 1990 | ||||||
| Cornelia Sampson Salinger Grove | Hendy Woods State Park | 1990 | ||||||
Edward P. Wells II Grove |
Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 1989 | ||||||
| The Downing-Nilon Family Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 1989 | ||||||
| The Fred Galbreath Family Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 1989 | ||||||
| Edward Schmiedell and Melba Schmiedell Memorial Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 1989 | ||||||
| Margaret Ware Van Alstyne Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 1989 | ||||||
| G. Carlile Babcock, Jr. Memorial Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 1989 | ||||||
| Dorothy Beck Babcock Memorial Grove | Navarro River Redwoods State Park | 1989 | ||||||
| George B. Kistiakowsky Grove | Montgomery Woods State Reserve | 1989 | ||||||
| Charles F. and Caroline F. Pearson Grove | Hendy Woods State Park | 1987 | ||||||
| Herbert H. Salinger Grove | Hendy Woods State Park | 1987 | ||||||
| Felix Bloch Memorial Grove | Hendy Woods State Park | 1985 | ||||||
| Henry and Caroline Schutt Grove | Big Basin Redwoods State Park | 1985 | ||||||
| Theodore, Lillian, Norma and Tom Collins | Hendy Woods State Park | 1986 | ||||||
| L. Seaver Hamilton and Minnie V. Hamilton Grove | Hendy Woods State Park | 1984 | ||||||
| Frederick R. Hamilton and Loraine S. Hamilton Grove | Hendy Woods State Park | 1984 | ||||||
| Miss Gray Hamilton Grove | Hendy Woods State Park | 1984 | ||||||
| Alfred Pinther Memorial Grove | Hendy Woods State Park | 1982 | ||||||
| D. Hanson Grubb and Edward H. Grubb Memorial Grove | Montgomery Woods State Reserve | 1981 | ||||||
| Ynes Mexia Memorial Grove | Montgomery Woods State Reserve | 1967 | ||||||
| Hendy Woods State Park | 1958 | |||||||
| Kellieowen Grove | Montgomery Woods State Reserve | 1947 | ||||||
| Dyar Grove | Montgomery Woods State Reserve | 1946 | ||||||
