The Dave Van de Mark Photograph Collection is a visual documentation of many areas that became Redwood National Park in 1968, and many of the areas that were included in the Park Expansion in 1978. The lower Redwood Creek watershed is the focus of this collection. The pre and post logging conditions are explicitly shown in these images. Within the collection there are some photographs of the surrounding areas in Humboldt and Del Norte counties which put the core part of the collection in a broader geographic context. Mr. Van de Mark's purpose was to generate support for creating the park and later, with even more determination, to heighten public awareness for the need to expand the park. Nearly all of the photos were taken by Dave Van de Mark. The collection provides documentation of the disturbed landscapes whose rehabilitation was authorized by Congress in the Redwood National Park Expansion Act (PL 95-250). Additionally, there are three taped interviews with Mr. Van de Mark; one in 1999 and two in 2006. Transcripts for the 2006 interviews are included in this collection.

Dave Van de Mark moved to Humboldt County as a young college student in early summer of 1963. He took a summer job in one of the local sawmills and then enrolled in Humboldt State University (then Humboldt State College). He soon became aware of the effort to build public support for creating a Redwood National Park and joined the Sierra Club to work toward that end. Out of necessity, he became the photographer for the park proponents. He was self-taught in both photography and the developing process. "Literally thousands of miles of hiking (no trails mainly); dozens of boat trips down Redwood Creek; perhaps three dozen or more aerial reconnaissance flights; and over 90,000 auto miles were logged in this effort. Of course all the land was private and 'hostile' then. Almost all activities involved secrecy and trespassing (Oh, are there some funny stories I can tell!)...."

Number of items: Approx. 5000 . Linear feet: 6.

Copyright has been assigned to the Redwood National Park of the National Park Service. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Cultural Resources Branch. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials.

Collection is open for research by appointment only. Contact the Cultural Resources Branch of the Redwood National and State Parks.