Couple's 1908 donation of 295 acres saved redwoods, created Muir Woods

A stretch of California redwood forest that could have been logged and turned into a reservoir became one of the country's best-known protected forests after William and Elizabeth Kent chose to give much of their land to the federal government.The Kents bought 611 acres in Redwood Canyon in 1905 for $45,000, as surrounding forests were being cleared for timber and commercial use. Three years later, they donated about 295 acres to the federal government, and President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the land Muir Woods National Monument, according to the National Park Service (NPS).The decision followed a dispute over plans to build a reservoir in the canyon and came after years of efforts by conservationists to protect its redwoods.A family with roots in CaliforniaWilliam Kent came from a wealthy family with roots in Connecticut.