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Randy Kryn (talk | contribs) →See also: List of national monuments of the United States |
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Muir Woods became a national monument in 1908 before the National Park Service existed when it was signed into law under the [[Antiquities Act]] by president Teddy Rosevelt. Prior to this, Muir Woods was called "Redwoods Canyon" before it was bought by the Kent family. The family bought the area to protect and preserve it and worked to get President Roosevelt to declare it a monument. In legislation written to protect Muir Woods, it was described as, "of extraordinary scientific interest and importance because of the primeval character of the forest in which it is located, and of the character, age and size of the trees". Once declared a national monument, Muir Woods was immediately protected and placed under the care of the United States Government. The Antiquities Act was the first of its kind to provide protection for natural resources.
The original suggested name of the monument was the Kent Monument but Kent insisted the monument be named after naturalist [[John Muir]], whose environmental campaigns helped to establish the [[List of National Parks of the United States|National Park system]]
[[File:John Muir Wood Carving.jpg|thumb|A wood statue of [[John Muir]] at the Muir Woods National Monument]]
Kent and Muir had become friends over shared views of wilderness preservation, but Kent's later support for the flooding of [[Hetch Hetchy Valley|Hetch Hetchy]] caused Muir to end their friendship.<ref>[http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/people/kent.aspx William Kent - People - John Muir Exhibit]. Sierraclub.org (April 5, 1976). Retrieved on 2013-07-21.</ref>
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