On June 4, 1978, a small area outside of Eureka (sometimes called "Stagecoach Hill") was recognized by District III as a very special area. It was so recognized because of its unique and rare resident, a species of Azalea that is known to exist only in this area. Because of our objective to promote conservation, we joined forces with the American Rhododendron Society and the California Garden Club to secure this property that was privately owned and slated for future development. With the cooperation of the California State Department of Parks and Recreation, we were able to place this land within the Parks System.
Unfortunately, the park is situated in a remote area that is hard to find. One of our goals of saving the park was to set it aside so that people could enjoy it. This led us to do something about marking the site. In May of 1998 we decided to place a marker at Azalea Park; however, due to vandalism and a decrease in funds for maintenance, the Forest Service will no longer allow anyone to place markers where they would require regular maintenance. Since it was not possible for us to place a marker on the premises, we expanded our vision by placing a description and map of Azalea Park at the Stone Lagoon Visitors Center located nearby.
The Carnegie Library was the first tax supported library in the State of California
freely open to any citizen. The Library was opened in Eureka, California.
The original library was located in the upstairs rented rooms of the Jones Building in downtown
Eureka. Later, it moved to the Carnegie Building several blocks East of its original
location. Several years ago the citizens of Eureka decided to restore this historic
building and open it to the public. The Carnigie Library Building has been since
renamed The Morris Graves Museum of Art.
Redwood Forest Chapter Daughters have raised money to place a plaque in front of the
museum, located at 636 F Street in Eureka. This plaque will be placed to honor the first free
public library in California. The dedication took place on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2001.
