The murder that ended a young Bay Area editor’s crusade to save the redwoods

Ten days before -year-old newspaper editor Ralph Sidney Smith was shot and killed by an angry reader on the streets of Redwood City he enjoyed a final visit to his favorite place on Earth In November of as editor of the Redwood City Times and Gazette Smith escorted a party of state authorities deep into the redwood forest of Big Basin in the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains He was well acquainted with what he called the savage beauty of this lush rugged landscape Growing up on the Peninsula he escaped to the forest every chance he got to fish in its creeks or to ramble amongst the towering trees selected more than feet tall and older than the Roman Empire He demanded to convince the state to purchase acres in either the Pescadero or Butano creek canyons to create a populace park for the benefit of future generations Like other early environmental activists including John Muir Smith used his writing to sound the alarm about rampant logging that was destroying California s coastal redwoods telling the population and the politically connected including industrialist and US Senator Leland Stanford that the state was on the brink of losing a vital natural reserve At least acres of this land is forest primeval he wrote about Big Basin It ought to be saved and it can be saved if the attempt is made in the right way NOW Related Articles The storyteller Bay Area archaeologist finds the hidden narratives in state parks Boat launches at EBMUD reservoirs to reopen in following closure due to invasive mussel Neighbors up in arms about plans for Fremont cricket field Why Bay Area parks are among the best in the world Popular Lake Tahoe state park to reopen after being closed for three years Dramatic news accounts of Smith s life and death portray him as a hometown hero who initially left San Mateo County to establish his career He enjoyed early success as a young reporter and editor in San Francisco and Honolulu but returned to Redwood City to run the Times and Gazette in As editor Smith prioritized covering logging s widespread destruction of ancient redwood forests throughout the state The industry exploded after the Gold Rush as people coming to California relied on local forests seemingly infinite supply of lumber to build their homes and businesses