Junior College Neighborhood Association in Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

A Legacy of Redwoods

— Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery —

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, November 11, 2026

1. A Legacy of Redwoods Marker

Inscription.
Civil War veteran, newspaper editor, banker, and land speculator, James Armstrong arrived in Santa Rosa in 1874. Beginning in 1892, he strove to preserve 400 acres of redwoods north of Guerneville. After his death in 1900, his daughter Elizabeth worked tirelessly to convince the County to purchase the property, which it did in 1917, then passing to the State in 1934. In 2008, the land was renamed Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. The park is the legacy of Armstrong and his daughter to the people of Sonoma County and California.

Erected by City of Santa Rosa Parks and Recreation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1874.

Location. 38° 27.285′ N, 122° 42.244′ W. Marker is in Santa Rosa, California, in Sonoma County. It is in the Junior College Neighborhood Association. It can be reached from Franklin Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Santa Rosa CA 95404, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Wine Country,

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the San Francisco Bay Area,

in the North Coast,

and specifically on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Santa Rosa 1906 Earthquake Monument (about 500 feet away); Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery Lost Veterans Memorial (about 600 feet away); From Slave to Rights Activist (about 700 feet away); Mableton (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fremont Park (approx. 0.8 miles away); Rosenberg’s Department Store (approx. one mile away); Santa Rosa Post Office and Federal Building (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Santa Rosa.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Comstock House Restoration (was approx. 0.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

More about this marker.

A Legacy of Redwoods Marker and Armstrong grave monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, November 11, 2026

2. A Legacy of Redwoods Marker and Armstrong grave monument

The marker is stop No. 6 on the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery self-guided tour.

Regarding A Legacy of Redwoods. The Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery self-guided tour brochure notes that Colonel James Armstrong is the highest ranking Civil War veteran in the cemetery, having served with the 134th Ohio Infantry.

Also see . . . James B. Armstrong (Overview). Overview:

James Boydston Armstrong (August 20, 1824 – October 15, 1900) was a businessman and a Colonel during the American Civil War. Originally from Ohio, Armstrong later moved to Sonoma County, California and became a prominent business figure in local society during the second half of the 19th century. Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve outside of Guerneville, which he had set aside as a public nature park, bears his name.

(Submitted on November 12, 2026.)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 12, 2026, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 12, 2026, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.