The redwood name originated in Watsonville. When the Portola expedition came through the Pajaro Valley in 1769, it encountered very tall trees with red bark that it had never seen, and so named them “palo colorado,” literally “red wood.” The photo above is of a group in 1943 planting a redwood tree alongside a commemorative sign at Pinto Lake County Park, the location of the documented encounter. The group includes members of the Pajaro Valley Historical Association who, in 1941, retraced the documented Portola expedition route to confirm the location.