25 Years of Forest Fun: New Exhibit in Our Mill Building

Blog by Julia Cronin and Janae Easlon | Photos by David Maung

Twenty-five years ago, on April 12, 1997, Paul Bunyan’s Forest Camp opened to the public. Five thousand people poured in to enjoy the new museum and playground. This major milestone was both the first phase of the newly merged Turtle Bay and the culmination of 15 years of planning, fund-raising, and hard work on the part of the Forest Museum. 

Today, visitors can see the exhibit celebrating this major milestone inside Turtle Bay’s Mill Building.

"I started my career at Turtle Bay opening Paul Bunyan's Forest Camp in 1997. It has been a lot of fun growing, changing, and revitalizing the Forest Camp over the past 25 years,” says Julia P. Cronin, Curator of Collections and Exhibits for Turtle Bay. "The Forest Camp's early motto, 'A place to play. A place to learn' has encouraged two generations of children to care about natural resources and to become museum-goers. I love running into guests who recognize me from a school program two decades ago and they are visiting with their kids."

It all began with a dream. In 1982, a group led by Iona “Rocky” Main came up with the idea to create a museum to preserve the flavor and history of the logging and timber products industry in our region. In 1983, the group petitioned the City of Redding for a site at “Turtle Bay” as this area has been known for well over 100 years. In the early 1990s, Redding’s other museums; the Redding Museum of Art and History and Carter House Natural Science Museum, as well as the Redding Arboretum, joined in to plan a museum complex. The seeds of Turtle Bay Exploration Park were sown. 

In May of 1984, The National Logging and Timber Products Museum incorporated, later achieving non-profit status in 1985. In 1991, it was renamed The Forest Museum to reflect the organization’s broader mission. In 1992/93, the Forest Museum began planting the Interpretive Forest to create an educational, walkable version of northern California’s forests. The Mill Building, which includes historic timbers from the old Kimberly Clark mill in Anderson, was completed in 1996.

Over the past 25 years, many things have changed as Turtle Bay has grown. We added the Butterfly House in 1999. The Mill Building Gift Shop moved to the Visitor Center in 2001. The animal program relocated from Carter House to the Forest Camp in 2002. Wildlife Woods bloomed in the Interpretive Forest and continues to grow. The Sheraton hotel occupies the old parking lot. Most recently, the Mill Building underwent a renovation and refresh, including the creation of this changing exhibit space, that culminated in the opening of the Forest Adventure area in 2019.