Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Eureka and Humboldt County: California
    Eureka and Humboldt County: California
    Eureka and Humboldt County: California
    Ebook186 pages43 minutes

    Eureka and Humboldt County: California

    By Clarke Historical Museum

    2.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The cry amongst the redwoods-Eureka!-was the shout heard from early pioneers in 1850 as they came to settle in Humboldt County. Discovery of gold permanently changed the area's history, and eventually lead to the extraction of Humboldt's other natural resource: the "red gold" of its forests. Captured here in over 200 vintage photographs is the pictorial history of this bountiful county and its residents.

    As the gold fever faded in the late 1800s, Humboldt County's primary source of industry became the lumbering of its vast redwoods. Pictured here are the men and machines that felled, transported, and milled the lumber, as well as photographs of the elegant Victorian mansions of the industry's lumber barons, such as William Carson. Weaving the history of Humboldt County together are the stories of its earliest residents, including the Native American tribes, fevered Gold Rushers, the early Chinese community, railroad workers, shipyard sailors, and industrious farming families, all of whom created the foundation it prospers on today.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateJun 20, 2001
    ISBN9781439613160
    Eureka and Humboldt County: California
    Author

    Clarke Historical Museum

    Using photographs exclusively from the Clarke Historical Museum in Eureka, curator Pamela Service and historian Raymond W. Hillman have preserved the history of Eureka and Humboldt County through this new title in Arcadia's Images of America series.

    Related to Eureka and Humboldt County

    Related ebooks

    Photography For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Gil Scott-Heron Changed My Life – And His Humane Message Still Resonates

      Oct 27, 2021

      In 1986, as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was being inaugurated in Cleveland, Ohio, I was touring Europe with the artist, poet, author and civil rights activist Gil Scott-Heron. At that time, you wouldn’t have readily associated someone like Gil wit

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Internet Has A Rat Poison Problem

      Dec 20, 2021

      My shopping spree was born out of boredom. On a lazy July morning I was in bed browsing Amazon when I decided to follow up on a tip I had received. I plugged the word “brodifacoum” into Amazon’s search bar, and a second later my screen filled with wh

      14 min read

    • Article

      Bringing the Dead Home

      Nov 1, 2020

      Bringing the Dead Home
      10 min read

    • Article

      Slow Life In Scandinavia

      Jun 24, 2020

      Slow Life In Scandinavia
      5 min read

    • Article

      Five Tribes

      Oct 19, 2021

      Five Tribes
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Bikes Of Wrath

      Mar 2, 2019

      The Bikes Of Wrath
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Tale Of Two Explorers

      Sep 24, 2019

      A Tale Of Two Explorers
      4 min read

    • Article

      Tragic Encounters

      Apr 14, 2018

      Tragic Encounters
      2 min read

    • Article

      First Nations

      Mar 1, 2022

      First Nations
      2 min read

    • Article

      Coromandel Gold

      Jun 27, 2021

      Coromandel Gold
      6 min read

    • Article

      LYTTON A Tale of Two Museums

      Jun 4, 2019

      LYTTON A Tale of Two Museums
      4 min read

    • Article

      Alaska

      Apr 15, 2021

      The chance to hear the haunting song of humpback whales or to watch one breach draws two million visitors to Alaska each summer, more than half of whom visit on a cruise. But beyond its wildlife and scenery, there’s also a wealth of culture to be fou

      2 min read

    • Article

      Towns That Talk

      Jun 4, 2020

      Towns That Talk
      8 min read

    • Article

      Front Words

      Sep 15, 2023

      Happy 90th anniversary to City of Vancouver Archives. Its collection captures the city’s story through 7.2 million photographs, 6,800 maps, 2,800 audio recordings, documents measured in kilometres and terabytes of digital material. How did it begin?

      4 min read

    • Article

      lakes And Craters

      Jan 10, 2024

      lakes And Craters
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Flinders highway

      Jun 30, 2021

      The Flinders highway
      6 min read

    • Article

      All That Glitters

      Apr 16, 2020

      All That Glitters
      9 min read

    • Article

      Foray Into The Fens

      Aug 27, 2021

      Foray Into The Fens
      5 min read

    • Article

      Halls Creek, WA

      Feb 24, 2022

      Halls Creek, WA
      3 min read

    • Article

      Must-see Sites

      Oct 7, 2021

      Located in Astoria, this world-class nautical museum is a must-see whether you’re a fan of maritime history or not. The enormous museum features multiple exhibits that tell the story of the Columbia River from the days of dugout canoes and sailing ve

      1 min read

    • Article

      Front Words

      Mar 15, 2024

      Front Words
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Eureka and Humboldt County

    2.5/5

    5 ratings1 review

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      What this book needed was more narrative. What it is a collection of captioned historical photographs--which may be fine for local citizens of Eureka and its associated history buffs, but for anyone else, the photos lack context. I myself will be visiting the area soon and was hoping the book would give me an outline of its history and background, but I'll have to look elsewhere for that. Once I visit Eureka, I may find the book more relevant as I will then be able to use it to make a "then vs. now" visual comparison.

    Book preview

    Eureka and Humboldt County - Clarke Historical Museum

    background.

    INTRODUCTION

    Eureka is the classical Greek for I found it! In 1850, settlers and gold seekers found what they were looking for in what was to become Humboldt County, California. They named their village and future county seat Eureka.

    For many centuries before, however, the area had been the ideal home for others. The boundaries of future Humboldt County contained portions of the home territory of several tribes, most prominently the Wiyot, Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk. Though speaking languages from three different language families, these groups shared similar beliefs, social structures, and material culture.

    All were hunter-gatherers, but the area’s mild climate and abundant resources allowed the people to live in permanent villages and to nurture wild plants. Subsisting on acorns, game, coastal shellfish, and the rivers’ abundant salmon and trout, they developed elaborate ceremonials and the art of fine basket making. There was little warfare because disputes within and between groups were usually settled by paying compensation. The people lived in close harmony with their environment and each other.

    That harmony was shattered by Shasta County rancher Pierson Reading’s discovery of gold in the Trinity Mountains in 1848. Although Spanish explorers and Russian fur hunters had earlier touched Humboldt’s coastline, it took a month-long westward expedition led by Josiah Gregg to establish a route from the Trinity gold fields to the coast. In April of 1850, the Laura Virginia was the first American ship to enter the bay, naming it Humboldt after the famous German geographer and scientist, Alexander von Humboldt.

    Soon fortune seekers flocked to the area by ship and over the mountains. Humboldt County was not a major source of gold, though Orleans and Willow Creek had mining-based economies, and beach sand under Gold Bluffs was worked with limited success. However, the coastal towns of Eureka, Arcata (originally called Union), and Trinidad grew into prosperous and notoriously rowdy ports and supply centers for the mines. Pack trains moved gold seekers and supplies into the mountains, and one of California’s first railroads was built in Arcata to transport goods from the docks to the town plaza.

    The miners and early settlers, however, usurped or destroyed the resources on which the native populations depended. Conflict led to massacres, the establishment of government forts, and forced resettlement. These policies, plus introduced diseases, destroyed some tribes entirely. Others, however, have retained their identity and many aspects of their culture.

    Timber, Humboldt’s red gold, was soon discovered to be a resource as valuable as the area’s minerals. Massive redwood trees, some 2,000 years old and growing to heights of over 300 feet, thrive in the narrow fog belt along California’s northwest coast. Felling and milling activities began almost immediately as lumbermen, used to smaller eastern trees, developed new techniques and tools to deal with the huge redwoods. Timber companies multiplied, expanding their operations inland, building rail links as they went, and scattering the area with small lumber-based towns and temporary camps.

    The need to ship out timber plus the availability of raw materials stimulated a local ship building industry. Fishing for crab, oysters, and various ocean fish, especially salmon, grew into a major industry, and Humboldt, Shelter Cove, and Trinidad bays supported active fishing fleets. Whaling was occasionally carried out as well. The rugged coastline sprouted lighthouses in an attempt to protect shipping, but the area remained the site of numerous spectacular wrecks.

    The land itself and the moderate climate proved to be other valuable resources for Humboldt County. Farmers from many countries were attracted to the rich soils around Humboldt Bay and several river bottoms, while the hills provided good grazing. Sheep raised here produced exceptional fleece, and the dairy industry prospered. Fruit growing was also successful, and the area became particularly known for its apples.

    Humboldt towns grew, and the more prosperous citizens built elegant homes using local wood. The difficulties of road travel over the mountains, and the dangers and discomfort of sea travel, kept the area fairly isolated. As a result, residents developed an attitude of rugged independence. The redwood curtain began to part, however, in the early 20th century with the building of a rail connection, completion of the Redwood Highway, and the rise of automobile travel. Tourism quickly joined timber and fishing as a major industry.

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1