Loleta Woman, Laura Perrott Mahan, Advocate for the Redwoods, Honored as Assembly District 2’s Woman of the Year
Press release from Assemblymember Jim Wood:
Laura Perrott [image from the National Park Service]
Today, Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) announced selecting Laura Perrott Mahan, early 20th century advocate for the preservation of redwood groves in Humboldt County and California, as 2022 Woman of the Year for Assembly District 2.
“This is very unique, and maybe the only time ever, that a Woman of the Year has been chosen as someone from history, more than 100 years ago,” said Wood. “I was inspired to choose Ms. Mahan after hearing from John “Griff” Griffiths, an interpreter at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, during a tour of the park late last year. We stopped at her memorial and Griff, a masterful storyteller, shared her story and I knew immediately that she deserved to be honored for her advocacy and work.”
Laura Perrott was born on November 29, 1868, near Loleta, California. Her mother, Sarah van Duzer, was a Humboldt County native, and her father, William, had worked his way from Michigan to California to become a successful Humboldt farmer.
In 1908, she married James Mahan, a lawyer, and soon became actively involved in local civic and reform organizations. She was a member of the Eureka Women’s Club (which focused on education and forestry) and a member of John Muir’s Sierra Club.
Mahan was an effective organizer and fundraiser and she, along with her fellow women’s club members, enlisted Eureka City business owners to designate local redwood groves as city parks. In 1913, she helped form and became president of the Redwood Park Committee, which wrote a resolution, forwarded to the U.S. Congress, demanding that several redwood groves be declared a national park. She also organized the influential Women’s Save the Redwoods League in 1919 to expand conservation advocacy and activism.
Mahan continued to advocate and protect the redwoods for the rest of her life. By the time she died in 1937, her work had helped preserve multiple groves of irreplaceable redwoods.
“This Friday, March 11, I will present a resolution honoring Laura Perrott Mahan to her relative, Michaele Whiteley of Humboldt,” said Wood. “I’m really looking forward to presenting this well deserved honor.”
Humboldt Redwoods State Park will live stream this event Friday, at approximately 9:45 am, on its Facebook page here.
![Laura Perrott {image from the National Park Service]](https://kymkemp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/REDW_MahanBio_Photo.webp)
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There is an old book (WW1 era), The Valley of the Giants, in which a main character is a woman who saves a redwood grove. It was written by a California author, Peter Kyne.
I wonder if he was in part inspired by Laura Perrott. The book is a “rip-roaring” tale of life in logging in early Humboldt histiry.
Big Trees was just on TV. Kirk Douglas. Filmed locally in parts. Has some good action shots of trains and logs. Supposedly The Carlotta Hotel was used also ( which burned down ). Seems to me there was a woman in the mix. I haven’t seen it in a while.
“The film was made with the cooperation of the Hammond and Carlotta Lumber companies,[2] and was shot on locations in Humboldt County, California.[4]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Trees
I read that book 20 years ago. Loved it!
I own the house her dad built after he moved out here from Grand Rapids, Michigan. True story.
Ten to one that it is built from old growth redwood.
I was going to point out something to that effect, more about the stair railing in the background. But then I zoomed in on it and it looks like some kind of prop for the photo. Probably still OG redwood.
Either way, she doesn’t have to live in a home built of rocks to work on protecting something she sees as priceless; old growth redwood. I’m pretty happy we as a society saved a few
It is indeed. Tbf, it wasn’t as old back then ; )
He was a timber broker who married a Van Duzen, so Bellerive was constructed from the highest-quality lumber available. It also has balloon framing, so in an earthquake it goes for quite a ride but to no ill effects.
My family bought the Perrott house on Singley Road back in the ‘90’s and just sold it. Is that the house you’re referring too?
My favorite grove in the State Park here, is the Mahan Grove.. A beautiful, usually quiet grove with two “white redwoods”.. Plus a nice plaque celebrating the Mahans..
Unfortunately there wasn’t 20 people like her. But I would not want to read that some Lumber Companies ran over them. It was nasty enough when Lumber millionaires were fighting to knock down the remaining beautiful majestic Redwoods just to turn a buck.
All due respect and honor to Mahan, but it makes me a bit sad that Wood couldn’t (or chose not to) identify a living woman in his District worthy of recognition and instead selected a person who died in 1937.
I agree. If I remember correctly, a local woman jumped into the bay to save an elderly man who accidentally drove his car into the water.
Yes, that woman (Hiedi Johnston aka Woman in Pink) was a true hero in that on-the-spot, risking-her-life way. She did get a Carnegie Medal and probably (i hope) many other honors. I’m not saying “everyone gets a medal!” but it seems okay to me to spread them around a little. Going to the past is a little odd, though.
Was Laura’s mother, Sarah Van Duzer, a Native American– Wiyot or Yurok or… ? If Laura was born in 1868, her mother would have had to have been born in the early 1850s, and it says here she was a “Humboldt County native.” The county was incorporated in 1853. So perhaps the mother appeared about the time of Humboldt County’s birth.
Guess i could look it up, but i’m feeling lazy and wondering if anyone more knowledgeable knows about Sarah already.
Sarah Jane van Duzer, the Perrot family matriarch, came west by covered wagon in 1848 (age 3), wintering in Salt Lake City, then in early 1849 (pre gold rush) continued west on the Oregon trail, to the Columbia River, then by ship into Humboldt County, to settle near `now’ Loleta. She was tough as a boot and lived to age 93
http://humboldtexposed.org/index/about_us.html
Thank you Angela for the site. Wonderful B&W photos. When men were men as were the character of the women. And women held it all together. Outstanding!!
Thank you, Angela! I guess they were wrong about mother Sarah Jane being a Humboldt native. I will go to this site now!
A minor correction, Laura was born in 1867 (census and gravesite records). And thank you for honoring my grand aunt. My grandfather, Lawrence and his brother (her husband) James of Mahan & Mahan attorneys-at-law in Eureka were instrumental on the legal side in stopping the illegal logging practices discovered by the Women’s Save the Redwoods League. Many of us in the family have walked the Mahan Trail in Founders Grove to enjoy these beautiful giants. To honor their efforts 100 years ago, we, the Mahan Family Descendants & Friends have just raised more than $30,000 to preserve more coastal redwood groves working with the Save the Redwoods League. Griff was instrumental in helping get this campaign off the ground. And many may not know that in addition to her conservationist/activist side, Laura was an accomplished artist, producing a number of beautiful paintings of the redwood forests that still exist today – we are lucky to have one in the family.
Larry Mahan
Laura Perrott Mahan was an amazing woman, a heroic pioneer in saving the redwoods, so glad her story is being retold.
Admittedly the role one plays can be “inflated” but my grand aunt was seen as a true leader, and given this is Women’s History Month, a bit of latitude is forgiven in the Humboldt Times (1925) description of her efforts …
Has anyone researched the Perrott family beyond Laura’s parents William Henry & Sarah Jane? It would be interesting to know where the Perrotts originated.