Redwood National Park Hostel celebrates 20 (and 100) years

July 2, 2007

On July 21, the Redwood National Park Hostel celebrates 20 years welcoming travelers to the rugged north coast of California, and the 100th anniversary of the historic DeMartin home where the hostel is based. Please join us from 2 p.m. to sunset for an anniversary party featuring live music, tasty food, and honored guests and speakers. Bring a sweater, a friend, and stories or photos for the Redwood Hostel Oral History Project.

No RSVP is necessary to attend the party. If you’d like to stay overnight at the hostel, please click here for information about reservations. To accommodate more overnight guests, the National Park Service is also allowing camping on the hostel grounds for this weekend only. For details, please call the hostel at (707) 482-8265 during office hours, 8-11 a.m. and 4-10 p.m. daily.

History of the Redwood National Park Hostel
In 1877, Swiss-born Peter Louis DeMartin and his wife Agnes moved to the rugged and wild country on the north coast of California. Settling at the mouth of Wilson Creek in Del Norte County, they built a log home for their large family that included 10+ children.

To reach the area, the family traveled by pack mule along an overland trail. For the next 12 years, this trail and Native American canoes supplied the only contact with the outside world, until DeMartin built a seven-mile wagon trail to Requa in 1889, and the road from Crescent City reached the ranch in 1894.

At first, the family raised sheep, but soon switched to cattle, hogs, and assorted crops. They even opened up their home to travelers, charging 25 cents for a bed and about the same for a plate of Agnes’ famous baked beans. In 1889 the DeMartins built a new home and hostelry, with more space for travelers.

Louis passed away in 1907, at which time his children undertook a complete reconstruction of the house, including the addition of a second story. The house remained in the hands of the DeMartin family until 1944, when it was sold. By 1985, the house was vacant and boarded up, and locals questioned whether it should be torn down.

That’s when the Hostelling International USA stepped in. In partnership with the National Park Service, the Coastal Conservancy, and the California Conservation Corps, the building was renovated once again and the Redwood Hostel (now HI-Redwood National Park) opened its doors in June 1987.