Posts Tagged With: Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve

The re-created chapel at Fort Ross State Historical Park

Pleasant Hill, CA

Day 2 in Jenner began with a stop at the Cafe Aquatica for a coffee and biscotti for Chris while Ed had milk and a cookie. Not many breakfast options in a town of 120. Our drive north continued along the two lane coast road with a few single lane stretches where road construction was ongoing-and necessary. The goal was Fort Ross State Historical Park, 12 miles and half an hour north of Jenner.

Fort Ross

Fort Ross was a Russian settlement and fortification along the coast, established in 1812 by the Russian-American Company. It had built permanent locations in Alaska stating in 1784 and needed to provide food for its settlements in Alaska and protection from Spanish settlements to the south of Fort Ross and British settlements to the north. Alaskan Alutiiq natives helped construct the fort and dwellings. Out of Fort Ross, the Russians traded with Americans, farmed, built ships, had a blacksmith shop, etc. The first ship built in California was constructed here in 1818.

Hunting here, as in many locations along both coasts, so depleted the marine mammals that the Russians imposed a four year hunting moratorium on seals and otters. This was the first marine-mammal conservation law in the Pacific. Russian scientific studies contributed greatly to the understanding of the geography, biology botany, etc. of this area.

But increasing deficits in the running of the Russian-American Company forced the Russians into closing Fort Ross and selling off its assets to John Sutter who transferred most of the cattle, sheep, hardware, etc and moved them to his Sacramento area holdings. Ranching and lumbering were the primary products of later American owners of the fort area.

Currently the state historical park has one surviving original structure, the home of the last manager of the Russian American Company. Re-creations of the stockade, chapel, blockhouses, and a warehouse can be viewed along with exhibits. Chris and I pondered about how America managed to stave off becoming a series of colonies belonging to England, France, Spain and Russia. What other country has managed to thrive, yes with many faults, but thrive with people from so many varied countries from around the world and not be ruled by an oligarch or monarchy?

We reversed course and headed back south, passing through Jenner and then east into the mountains on our way to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. This redwood forest had been devastated two years ago by fire and much of the park is still off limits to foot traffic. Here we were able to view redwoods with fire scars on their trunks but, so far, still thriving. This fire was started by lightning, not arson or recklessness. Again the majesty of the enormous trees and the diverse habitats underneath the trees made for a calm, yet awe-inspiring walk through the only trail currently open to the public.

Walking through Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve

The coastal redwoods, tallest living trees on Earth, grow naturally only along a narrow coastal belt from southern Oregon to central California. In the late 1800s, James Armstrong helped save this section of the redwoods by donating the land to his daughter with plans for a natural park. California obtained the land in 1934. Armstrong also purchased and cut huge swaths of other sections of redwood forest to run his sawmills. One interesting display in the park shows a section of cut redwood, with tree rings running from the post Civil War era back to well before the Magna Carta in 1215.

Friday morning view from our cabin

We returned to Northwood restaurant for an early dinner and made it back to our cabin just before 12 hours of rain began. No night sky viewing tonight, last night’s stars were replaced by a steady drumming of rain on the roof. The roar of the ocean waves continued as loud Thursday night as it had been Wednesday night. Something, possibly the rain, chased away the harbor seals which had been sunning on the land between the river and the ocean and only a few of them greeted us Friday morning.

View from Fort Ross Thursday morning

Ed and Chris, Pleasant Hill CA Feb. 24.