Hundreds of thousands of people visit Muir Woods National Monument each year, but, if not for one couple, there wouldn’t be a Muir Woods to visit at all.

More than a century ago, most of California’s old-growth redwoods had been clear-cut by logging interests, and a water company threatened to take possession of a valley just north of San Francisco that was home to one of the remaining groves in the Bay Area and across the Pacific coast. Enter William and Elizabeth Thacher Kent.

The North Coast Water Co. coveted Redwood Canyon, as Muir Woods was then known, and in 1906 set in motion a plan to fell the giant trees, build the dam and create a reservoir in the nearly inaccessible sliver of Marin County. William Kent, a future congressman, and Elizabeth Thacher Kent, an environmental and women’s rights activist, had purchased the land in 1905 for $45,000. When the water company threatened to use eminent domain to take the land, they sprung into action.

According to a Chronicle article from Jan. 5, 1908, “On December 2nd (1905), the water company had filed a suit in condemnation proceedings to compel (William) Kent to sell the canyon and its trees, converting the area into a reservoir.” It seemed the Sausalito water company would prevail, and the redwoods would be lost to history.

The Kents, however, had plan: They deeded part of the land to the federal government, thus taking the case out of the local courts, where it could have prevailed. They also contacted Gifford Pinchot of the Forestry Department “to use his influence to procure the prompt acceptance of this gift,” according to The Chronicle.

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On Jan. 4, 1908, William Kent was informed that the 295-acre gift had been accepted by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the land would be a public park forever. Five days later, President Theodore Roosevelt used the American Antiquities Act to create Muir Woods National Monument. The park was set to be named for William Kent, but he insisted it honor environmentalist John Muir.

In Roosevelt’s thank-you letter to Kent dated, Jan. 22, 1908, he wrote: “All Americans who prize the natural beauty of the country and wish to see it preserved undamaged and especially those who realize the literally unique value of the groves of giant trees must feel that you have conferred a great and lasting benefit upon the whole country.”

Fast facts about Muir Woods

Muir Woods is small by national parks standards, at 554 acres, with 240 of those acres home to old-growth redwoods.

Access to Muir Woods has always been an issue. Automobiles had to use a toll road access the park until 1939, when the state highway system took over and provided free access. Parking has been problematic since. Here’s how you can bike there.

The number of visitors to Muir Woods has exploded the past decade, jumping by more than 30 percent in the past 10 years. Here are tips for planning your visit.

A new reservation system was established this year to limit the number of cars driving to the site. A shuttle system is in place.

More from Chronicle Vault

•Babe in the woods: Muir Woods’ tallest tree is a youngster when compared with others in California’s old-growth forests.

•A dive into the archive: The Bay Area celebrated for a year when Muir Woods marked its 100th anniversary as a national monument.

•Fitting designation: It took a century, but Muir Woods got itself listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

•Looking skyward: Examining the tradition of trees accompanying beams atop new buildings in San Francisco’s skyline.

•Going underwater: See stunning photos from the catastrophic Northern California floods of 1997.

From the Archive is a weekly column by Bill Van Niekerken, the library director of The Chronicle, exploring the depths of the newspaper’s archive. It’s part of Chronicle Vault, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting more than 150 years of San Francisco stories. It is edited by Tim O’Rourke, The Chronicle’s assistant managing editor and executive producer of SFChronicle.com. Sign up for the newsletter here and follow Chronicle Vault on Instagram. Contact Bill at bvanniekerken@sfchronicle.com and Tim at torourke@sfchronicle.com.