Muir Woods National Monument Improvements – Muir Woods National Monument CA

City:
Mill Valley, CA

Site Type:
Parks and Recreation, Infrastructure and Utilities, Paths and Trails, Picnic and Other Facilities, Park Roads and Bridges, Flood and Erosion Control

New Deal Agencies:
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Conservation and Public Lands, Work Relief Programs, National Park Service (NPS)

Started:
1933

Completed:
1941

Quality of Information:
Moderate

Marked:
No

Site Survival:
Extant

Description

The CCC did extensive work in Muir Woods National Monument.

The National Park Service site summarizes their activity:

“The men began work in Muir Woods and the surrounding Tamalpais State Park. Projects included a revetment (rockwork stream banks) in Redwood Creek; construction of a stone-faced concrete bridge on Fern Creek; construction of utility buildings and benches; and the construction of the Sidney B. Cushing Memorial Amphitheater (the “Mountain Theater”), near Rock Springs, on Mt. Tamalpais. The CCC completed its last project in Muir Woods in May 1941, and was disbanded shortly thereafter.”   (https://www.nps.gov/)

Not everything the CCC did was ideal by modern standards, of course. Stream channelization was very popular in the middle of the 20th century, but knowledge has advanced since then.  As one park report notes:

“Unfortunately, some of these projects disrupted natural processes and degraded ecosystem health. For example, the removal of woody debris and the construction of bank revetments or rock walls along 3,541 feet of Redwood Creek prevented the formation of natural pools and undercut banks, which degraded or eliminated the complex habitat that spawning and juvenile coho salmon and steelhead require. Floods were curtailed, and when they were, bare mineral soils were no longer exposed, diminishing the opportunity for coast redwood seeds to sprout into seedlings.”   (NPCA Park Report)

Source notes

https://www.nps.gov/muwo/learn/historyculture/stories.htm
NPCA's State of the Parks report about Muir Woods

Site originally submitted by Shaina Potts on March 22, 2016.
Additional contributions by Richard A Walker.

Location Info


1 Muir Woods Rd
Muir Woods National Monument, CA 94941
Marin County

Coordinates: 37.89536, -122.5780

Contribute to this Site

We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal site.

Submit More Information or Photographs for this New Deal Site

2 comments on “Muir Woods National Monument Improvements – Muir Woods National Monument CA

  1. Gary Ludwig

    My father, Everett W. Ludwig, arrived in Mill Valley in October 1933 and worked as an ECW foreman till April 1934. I have photos from the period. Dad’s crew, CCC workers, built fire trails on Mt. Tam. His crew were young men mostly from back East. He received letters from them into the 1950’s. If you have any information on his employment including photos, I would love to hear – Gary Ludwig

  2. Gary,

    I’m researching the CCC work on Mount Tam, and would be interested in hearing more about your dad’s work in the 1933-34 period. I just recently determined Camp Muir Woods NM-3 was originally a tent camp set up on the other side of Mt Tam from Muir Woods near Lake Lagunitas.

    I can be reached at [email protected]

    Matt

Join the Conversation

Please note:

  • We are not involved in the management of New Deal sites and have no information about visits, hours or rentals.
  • This page shows all the information we have for this site; if you have new information or photos to share, click the button above.

Your email address will not be published, shared, or sold.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contribute to this Site

We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal project site.

Submit More Information or Photographs for this New Deal Site

2 comments on “Muir Woods National Monument Improvements – Muir Woods National Monument CA

  1. Gary Ludwig

    My father, Everett W. Ludwig, arrived in Mill Valley in October 1933 and worked as an ECW foreman till April 1934. I have photos from the period. Dad’s crew, CCC workers, built fire trails on Mt. Tam. His crew were young men mostly from back East. He received letters from them into the 1950’s. If you have any information on his employment including photos, I would love to hear – Gary Ludwig

  2. Gary,

    I’m researching the CCC work on Mount Tam, and would be interested in hearing more about your dad’s work in the 1933-34 period. I just recently determined Camp Muir Woods NM-3 was originally a tent camp set up on the other side of Mt Tam from Muir Woods near Lake Lagunitas.

    I can be reached at [email protected]

    Matt

Join the Conversation

Please note:

  • We are not involved in the management of New Deal sites and have no information about visits, hours or rentals.
  • This page shows all the information we have for this site; if you have new information or photos to share, click the button above.

Your email address will not be published, shared, or sold.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.