Cloud was equally enchanted by the natural beauty and alarmed by its impending destruction; at the time, it had just been acquired by a lumber company which intended to harvest the trees.

[2]: 9–10  Cloud approached the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, recommending the area be purchased and preserved as a park; the Board appointed a committee of prominent citizens to investigate the possibility, and the committee unanimously recommended preservation after their tour, comparing the site favorably with Big Basin.

[2]: 10–11 Supervisor Thomas L. Hickey proposed that prominent trees in the newly-acquired grove be named for the San Mateo County men who died in World War I; during the park's dedication ceremonies on July 4, 1924, the names of 52 men were read aloud to designate an identical number of redwood trees in Legion Flat.

[2]: 14  During the Depression, a camp for approximately 300 workers of the Works Project Administration (WPA) was established within Memorial Park to build many amenities and structures.

At the same time, a separate camp for approximately 150 runaway girls was also established on-site; the WPA men were responsible for logging while the women handled cooking and washing.