In 1848, the cry of “Eureka!” drew more than 200,000 men to what would soon become California. Some traveled north to the state’s narrow coastal strip, where they discovered “red gold”—the region’s towering redwoods and valuable timber. As miners became lumbermen, Eureka grew into a bustling center, its streets carved from the vast forest that once stretched to Humboldt Bay. Today, most ancient redwoods are protected within state and federal parks.