Carrie Stevens Walter


Carrie Stevens Walter was an American educator and poet who was a co-founder of the Sempervirens Club, a California environmental organization.

Early years and education

Carrie Stevens was born in Savannah, Missouri, the oldest of six children. She moved to the Pacific coast with her parents ten years later and lived in California thereafter. She inherited poetic talent from her father, Josiah E. Stevens, and showed early leaning toward literary pursuits. She was educated at the Oakland Female Seminary and was valedictorian of the first graduating class of that institution. Some of her poems had already found their way into leading periodicals of the West Coast.
Walter made her home in Santa Clara County.

Career

Walter was a teacher for two decades before turning her attention to literature. In 1886, her book An Idyl of Santa Barbara was published. She also wrote newspapers and magazine articles, advertisements, commercials, short stories, and serials.
In the late 19th century, California's ancient redwood forests were being logged heavily. A group including Stanford University President David Starr Jordan determined to protect the remaining redwoods, and at their initial meeting, Walter was appointed to a committee tasked with surveying the extent of the problem. This group became the Sempervirens Club, and one result of their lobbying efforts was California Redwood Park, later renamed Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

Selected works