State Parks 150th Birthday

The California State Park System, the national’s first state park system, began in 1864 when President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill that set aside 39,000 acres of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove for public use.

In 2014 California State Parks will commemorate its 150th Anniversary.  They kicked off the sesquicentennial celebration on January 1st with First Day Hikes at 13 state parks; to include Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.  On the 7th of January the new California Statewide Museum Collections Center opened to the public.

State Parks Director Major General Anthony L. Jackson USMC (Ret.) said “We are planning an amazing variety of events throughout the state and I invite you to join us and attend activities in your favorite state parks.  Please watch our website, follow us on social media, and stay tuned as we commemorate this momentous occasion.”

California State Parks has also instituted a 150th Anniversary Annual Park Pass program that includes five different passes:

  *  Annual
  *  Historian Passport
  *  Surf Explorer
  *  California Park Experience (day-use)
  *  Off-Highway Vehicle (day-use)

The annual pass cost $150 and includes the new Historian Passport which provides free admission to participating museums and historic sites. The Historian Passport cost $50 when purchased separately. Passes are available at the State Parks online store.  For more details visit the Park Pass webpage.

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park is one of fourteen Historic State Parks highlighted on the California State Parks’ 150th Anniversary website.  The State Parks’ Allensworth’s Utopia article covers his life as a slave, his military career, and his role in the founding of the town of Allensworth. The article goes on to cover the decline of the town, the death of the Colonel, and formation of Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.