James B. Armstrong came to California from Ohio in 1874 as a land investor and purchased land in these forests, where he developed a deep appreciation for the redwoods. As logging destroyed the forests at an alarming rate, he and his family became champions and local pioneers of preservation and he devoted the later years of his life to saving Armstrong Woods for future generations. After his death in 1900, his family and friends continued those early preservation efforts. His eldest child, Lizzie Armstrong Jones, had assisted him in many of his land dealings, and in 1898 she inherited Armstrong Woods from her sister. With her husband Parson Jones, family friends, and fellow landowner Harrison LeBaron, she worked for years to make Armstrong Woods public property. Armstrong Woods became a county park in 1916 and part of the California State Park system in 1934.