Dept. of Natural Resources, Division of Parks

Agency History

The Dept. of Parks and Recreation was originally named the Dept. of Natural Resources when first created in 1927 by Chapter 128. The bill also allowed for a new Division of Parks to be established within the department. The Legislature introduced three more park-related bills that same year. Chapter 763 created the state's first State Park Commission with executive and administrative authority over the state park program. Chapter 764 provided for a survey of potential park areas for acquisition as state parks. Chapter 765 provided for the submission of a $6 million bond issue that would provide funds for state park acquisition purposes. According to Chapter 765, each dollar of state funds would have to be matched by funds or land from local or private sources before acquisition could proceed. Governor C. C. Young signed the bills in May 1927. The State Park Bond Act passed in the 1928 general election.

The first State Park Commission consisted of five members: chairman William E. Colby, and members Dr. Ray Lyman Wilbur, Henry W. O'Melveny, Major Frederick Russell Burham, and Senator Wilbur F. Chandler. The commissioners offered landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. (1867-1957) the job of surveying possible state park sites. Olmsted's efforts resulted in the California State Parks Survey, published in 1929. The commissioners accepted the recommendations outlined in the survey and began a program of acquisition.

California's coastal population increased in the late 1930s, and with this change came an increase in beach acquisitions. On June 2, 1941 Governor Culbert Olson signed Chapter 550 authorizing the Division of Parks to change its name to the Division of Beaches and Parks to reflect the new emphasis on beach properties. The State Park Commission received $15 million from the 1945 Omnibus Park Acquisition Bill. The Commission again hired Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. as an advisor on inland park acquisition and development in 1945. Already working on the acquisition of the Calaveras South Grove and highway design in several north coast parks for the Commission, Olmsted agreed to provide recommendations for projects such as the town of Columbia and scenic highways along the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. He submitted his reports beginning in 1946 but did not present the final General Report on Potential State Park and Recreational Areas until 1950.

Passed on March 15, 1961 by the California Legislature, Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 25 directed the Dept. of Natural Resources through the Division of Beaches and Parks to undertake a study of the historical resources of the state and to formulate a long-range plan for the preservation, restoration, and interpretation of the historical resources and values of the state. The Division of Beaches and Parks never officially adopted the resulting program, the Historical Resources Study.

The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 mandated states to implement a comprehensive state historic preservation plan, conduct a statewide survey of historic sites, nominate properties to the National Register of Historic Places, and administer a matching grants-in-aid program for survey activities, planning activities, and for acquisition and development projects. An historic preservation plan was not formulated until after 1967, when new Division director William Penn Mott, Jr. reorganized the Division of Beaches and Parks and the Division of Recreation into the Dept. of Parks and Recreation (DPR). Governor Ronald Reagan signed Chapter 1179 on August 15, 1967 authorizing the name change. Under the same legislation, the State Park Commission merged with the Recreation Commission, becoming the State Park and Recreation Commission and increased from five members to nine members. Governor Reagan then designated Mott as State Liaison Officer in March 1967, with the authority to implement the NHPA in California.

In 1969 the National Parks Service provided $40,000 to California for the purposes of developing a National Register of Historic Sites and a California History Plan. Completed in 1973, California History Plan Volume I, the Comprehensive Preservation Program recommended methods of improving preservation efforts, summarized the history of California, and described the status of historic preservation in the state. California History Plan Volume II, the Statewide Inventory of Historic Sites included an ongoing inventory of the state's historic resources. California History Plan Volume III, the Annual Preservation Program reported the status of the California History Preservation Program, long-range preservation goals, and immediate plans and preservation activities. DPR updated Volume III until 1975, when DPR created the Office of Historic Preservation.

The California Historical Landmarks Advisory Committee originally served as the official review board for nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. The committee approved their first nomination in July 1970. From July 1, 1972 to October 20, 1975 the new History Preservation Section of the Dept. of Parks and Recreation assumed responsibility for the nominations. In late October 1975, the Dept. of Parks and Recreation created the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) directed by the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). Under the jurisdiction of the DPR, the OHP accepted all the duties concerning historic preservation in California, including National Register nominations. Nominations are based on evidence of the property's physical integrity, architectural style, historical or archaeological significance, or connection to a significant person or place. Applications are denied for failing to meet the required criterion. Withdrawn or removed applications usually result from properties that have been destroyed before the nomination process was complete. Today, the OHP continues to review and forward qualified National Register of Historic Places nominations to the Keeper of the Register in Washington D.C.

From the guide to the Dept. of Parks and Recreation Records, 1904-2003, (California State Archives)