Humboldt County CA Archives History - Books .....Humboldt County 1890 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com December 6, 2005, 8:21 pm Book Title: History And Business Directory Of Humboldt County HUMBOLDT COUNTY One of the Most Prosperous Counties of California THE REDWOOD INDUSTRY, ITS VAST AND OVERSHADOWING IMPORTANCE. THE WEALTH OF ITS FORESTS, ITS RICH AND FERTILE SOIL. THE WOOL INTERESTS, AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL PURSUITS THE GROWTH OF POPULATION. AN EXHAUSTIVE EXPOSITION OF THE GREATNESS OF THE COUNTY A Careful Examination of Its Position A casual study of the map of the United States reveals the fact that Humboldt is the most westerly point in the Union. It possesses the most westerly harbor. It occupies a central and commanding position of the United States, and of the world. That Humboldt Bay is at once the greatest direct available point for an "air-line" railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. These facts place to the credit of Humboldt the command of the commercial highways; and at some future period destines her to be the half-way station of the World's commerce— trans-continenental and trans-Pacific. California is the land of greatness and of magnitude. Her forests are gigantic; her plains are vast, and her giving-forth of wealth has been stupendous. Her people are seized with the spirit of greatness that pervades even the atmosphere,— they attempt great things, and even if they fail, they do so grandly. In less than forty years of its life as a country of action and of progress, more history-making has been done, more vicisitudes of fortune and despair, and more wonderful success has been achieved than in all the rest of the world put together. In all these matters Humboldt county has had her place. She has her successful men, her millionaires; and she has seen noble and manlike struggles against adverse fates with triumphant results. Hope is one of the Godly virtues of which all mankind in general possess to a great degree. No matter if in a dungeon, the stony walls and dismal enclosure are lighted up by a ray of hope—hope for liberty and freedom. The youth as he sets out from home is animated with the same Godlike characteristic fame, honor and wealth he hopes to obtain and although he may struggle against superhuman obstacles a star beacons him onward, "follow" it seems to say, that star is hope. It is the light, the pillar of fire which has guided man across unknown seas, over mountains whose peaks seem almost to pierce the canopy of the sky, across the yarning abyss, and onward to the building of an Bmpire, has the rays of this star been the guide. It lead the pioneer, the gold hunter and fortune-seeker to the land of the Golden Gate; from Europe and from the Bast they came in thousands, dreaming of future happiness, prosperity and wealth—dreams inspired by hope. "Westward the star of empire wends its way," and to the present generation the star of hope shines on the shores of the Pacific. The man of family struggling to obtain a living amid the heat of summer or the snows of winter in the Eastern States looks forward to the time when he may go to the Eldorado of the world, not the land of gold, but of peace and plenty, the California of to day. Here indeed can be found the realization of his reasonable hopes, for here in this great State is a climate conducive to health and longevity. But California is a great State, and where and in what part is most desirable for the settler of moderate means? It is to answer such questions that the publisher proposes to lay before the reader the resources, climate, productiveness and advantages of HUMBOLDT COUNTY As we have stated before, California is a great State with a coast line of nearly or over 800 miles, possessing every variety of climate, every variety of soil and all possible natural resources. In Southern and Central California the orange, lemon and the fig are attractions, but land is high and to those of moderate means who cannot wait ten or twelve years to reap an income from their labor and investment it is undesirable for them to settle there. So we therefore turn the eyes of the prospective settler towards Humboldt county, and present to his mind its manifold advantages and great resources. Here the giant redwood towers hundreds of feet into air awaiting only the ax to fell, and saw to cut to be transformed into the finest lumber known to man, the luxuriant grasses which carpet every hill, mountain, canyon and valley are capable of sustaining thousands of herds of cattle, sheep and horses. The rich bottom lands of the valleys await the coming of the orchardist and farmer to liberally reward his investment of capital and his labor. The dozen saw-mills working to their utmost capacity in supplying the demands of the counties bordering on the Pacific for lumber invite the capitalist to invest and treble their number which are now incapable of meeting the requirements of trade. To those who think that the days for amassing wealth have vanished we invite them to investigate the natural resources of this great county, and we can, with assurance, say that in no part of the world is capital invested so quickly repaid or labor performed so rapidly and richly rewarded. Nature has indeed liberally endowed Humboldt county even to the borders of extravagance, and the man who, with even a small amount of capital and willingness to labor, cannot succeed here, must indeed be far beyond all earthly assistance and would undoubtedly starve to death in the midst of plenty. GEOGRAPHICAL. Humboldt county is the most northern county but one, lying on the Pacific Ocean. Its northern line is separated from Oregon by the county of Del Norte 40 miles, and the division line between Del Norte and Humboldt is about midway between the 4ist and 42d parallels. Its southern limit is marked by the 4oth parallel. It is bounded on the north by Del Norte county, on the northeast by Siskiyou county, on the east by Trinity county, on-the south by Mendocino county and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. It contains 3,560 square miles, or 2,297,600 acres of land. Its length from north to south is 108 miles, and it has an average width of about 40 miles, and 175 miles of meander tide-water line. The county is one and one-half times as large as the State of Delaware, and three times the size of Rhode Island. According to estimates that have been made the county may be sub-divided as follows: Timber lands. 1,221,600. Agricultural 450,000. Grazing land 626,000. It must be understood that the timber land when the trees are removed is capable of being made the best and richest and most productive land in the world, and the greater part of that classed as "grazing" would be utilized if in the Eastern States, but in California unless the land is almost in a condition to plow it is passed by in contempt for agricultural purposes. PHYSICAL FEATURES. For a county suitable for diversified industries, the superior of Humboldt county would be hard to find. Its not overly large but numerous valleys, its rolling hills and extensive table lands, its acres of timber, of nearly every kind, and its many streams and rivers, make it a county of almost unlimited resources. In fact, the physical features of Humboldt county are those most to be desired. It contains no very high mountains and but few acres of valueless land, it being a territory of which nearly every foot is of some tangible worth. The only valley of any very great size in Huuiboldt county is the Eel River Valley, which contains tens of thousands of acres of as rich land as lie in California. There are numerous small valleys, however, in which most anything can be profitably grown, the soil being extremely fertile. Among the number, Mattole, Klamath, Mad River and Bear River Valleys should be particularly named. Humboldt county can, by no means, be called mountainous, for its hilliest sections are undulating. HUMBOLDT BAY. This magnificent harbor is fifteen miles long, with an average width of three miles, possessing a tidal area of forty square miles, and has an aggregate length of seventy-five miles of navigable channels. Humboldt Bay is the receptacle of a number of small rivers and creeks, of which Jacoby, Freshwater and Salmon creeks and Elk river are the principal, and which have a length from twelve to forty miles respectively. It is completely land-locked, and vessels can lie at the wharves with complete safety at all times of the year, and in all kinds of weather. It is one of three so happily situated on over 1300 miles of sea coast between the Mexican boundary and British Columbia, and ranks second only to the Bay of San Francisco in the importance of its commerce, in point of safety it is second to none. TRINIDAD BAY. Trinidad bay is an open port well sheltered from the winds, twenty miles north of the entrance to Humboldt bay. It is one of the best harbors on the coast, which can accommodate vessels of the largest size. It is in the immediate vicinity of a rich growth of timber, which will, without doubt, be utilized ere long. A railroad to connect the town with Eureka is likely to be built, in the near future, which will transform it into a scene of activity. SHELTER COVE. Shelter Cove lies about 160 miles north of San Francisco and about 50 miles south of Eel river bar. This is an important shipping point for extreme Southern Humboldt and Northern Mendocino. The harbor is of a horse-shoe shape, and is formed by a sharp bend, which, at that point, the coast takes in a westerly direction. It is further protected by large beds of kelp or seaweed, which, to a great extent, break the force of the sea when southerly winds prevail. There is deep water close into the Cove, and plenty of sea-room, making it a good summer harbor for vessels, and a place of refuge during the prevalence of northerly gales. CLIMATE. Humboldt county possesses in common with the coast of California all the characteristics of a genial and equable climate. The air is exhilarating and invigorating, never too warm, and the mercury never descends to the freezing point, a uniformity of temperature being preserved the year round, a condition which exists only in California. In winter on the hills back of the timber belt snow falls, but in the valleys and within the distance influenced by the ocean, there is an absence of snow and frost seldom forms. The average temperature for the summer-months is about 65 degrees and in winter at 45 degrees. Here indeed is a healthy invigorating climate, free from miasma and all other kindred complaints. It adds tone to the system, and enables one to take an interest in work and gives a renewed impetus to the system, which is equivalent to a new lease of life. RESOURCES. We will give but passing mention of the resources of Humboldt county under this head as they are treated at length in other pages of this edition. Here lumber is king. The magnificent redwood is of the chiefest importance, but an inexhaustible supply of spruce, pine and cedar only await further development by the investment of capital in mills, to cut into lumber or wood, that has the world for a market. Laurel, oak and madrone are here to be found and offer the greatest of inducements to the enterprising manufacturer of furniture. Wool forms the next industry of importance and adds to the great wealth of the county. Stock raising, dairy products, fruit raising, agriculture and the salmon fisheries, besides mineral and other resources present attractions which cannot but magnificently reward those who interest themselves in their development. RIVERS, LAKES AND CREEKS.—EEL RIVER. Eel river has its source in Mendocino county. This beautiful, wild and ever flowing stream drains an immense area of country. It is over two hundred miles long, and has hundreds of miles of tributaries. Having its source in the Coast Range, with the snows of numerous high peaks to feed it, its waters are clear, cold and rapid, flowing freely all summer. It has a course of more than 125 miles in this county, and with its tributaries, each from fifty to one hundred miles in length, constitutes a prominent physical feature of Southern Humboldt. Its general course is northwest, flowing into the Pacific Ocean two hundred and twenty miles north of San Francisco. Some say the river takes its name from the circumstance of the Wood exploring party having traded old iron for eels with the Indians residing on the river's banks, whilst others claim that it derives its name from the Indian word "Wee-ot-lol-la," meaning many eels. From its mouth to Camp Grant, a distance of perhaps 55 miles by the river's course, it is nearly a half-mile wide, tide-water ebbing and flowing up to a point about six miles from its mouth. For a distance of three miles or more up the river from its mouth the channel has an average depth of from twelve to fifteen feet. TRIBUTARIES OF EEL RIVER. The Van Duzen fork of Eel river has its source in Trinity county. It is about 100 miles in length and empties into Eel river some fourteen miles from its mouth. Yager creek, a tributary of the Van Duzen, has its source near the low gap or divide between the waters of Mad and Eel rivers, and with its tributaries drains and waters all that section of country between Mad river and the Van Duzen, flowing into the latter about three miles east of Hydesville. It is about fifty miles in length and takes its name from the fact of a traveler having lost his yager while crossing it. Lawrence creek, flowing into the Yager, rises at the foot of Kneeland Prairie buttes, and has a southwesterly course. Big Laribee creek, little Laribee creek and Dobbyns' creek, also empty into Eel river, and are streams of some size. The South Fork of Eel river is about 80 miles in length, and might properly be called the south half of that river, the flow of water above the junction of the two being about equally divided between it and the main river. It has for its tributaries in this county several creeks, prominent among which are Bull creek, Canoe creek, Elk creek, and Sprawl creek. MATTOLE RIVER. The Mattole river rises in Mendocino county and is about one hundred miles in length. It takes its name from the Indian word Mattole, which means clear water. This river with its tributaries drains a large area of country. KLAMATH RIVER. The Klamath, which has its origin in southern Oregon, traverses Siskiyou county, and enters Humboldt at the extreme northeastern corner, flowing southeasterly for thirty miles, to the northern boundary of Hoopa Indian Reservation, where it receives the waters of the Trinity river, and then makes a complete right angle, flowing northwesterly forty-five miles to the Pacific Ocean, discharging just north of the county line, and fifteen miles south of Crescent City, the county seat of Del Norte county. The entire length is 225 miles. It is navigable for small ocean crafts thirty-five miles inland from its mouth, and penetrates one of the richest mining regions in California, or of the Pacific Coast, and has a course in the county of seventy miles. TRINITY RIVER. Trinity river enters the county a little north of the center of its eastern line, and, after a course of thirty miles along its eastern edge, it passes a distance of twelve miles through Hoopa Valley, at the northern boundary of this beautiful Indian Reservation, the Trinity flows into the Klamath river, and thence to the Pacific Ocean. MAD RIVER. Mad river is a considerable stream, emptying into the ocean six miles south of Little river, and just north of Humboldt Bay, traversing a length of over 100 miles in the county and empties into the ocean twenty-two miles north of Eel river. BEAR RIVER. Bear river rises near Happy Camp, having a due west course, and flows into the Pacific Ocean near Cape Mendocino. It takes its name from the number and size of the bears that once roamed in that section, and from the fact that L. K. Wood, an early pioneer, was once badly mangled by a wounded grizzly near its banks. It is twenty-five miles in length and about as crooked as a river could possibly be. The South Fork of Bear river has its source near Taylor's Peak, and the North Fork winds in and around Mt. Pierce, or the Monument, as it is usually called. SALT RIVER. Salt river is a tide river, and has its source near the upper end of Eel River Island, and is about eight or nine miles long. It is very crooked, and the tide flows nearly its whole length. It empties into Eel river near its mouth, and is navigable for vessels for about four miles from its junction with Eel river. On this stream is located the Port Kenyon warehouses, through which nearly all the freight of Southern Humboldt passes. REDWOOD CREEK. Redwood creek is some forty miles in length, and empties into the ocean twenty miles south of the Klamath. LITTLE RIVER. Little river is the next stream, twenty-five miles south of Redwood creek, and discharges four miles south of the town of Trinidad, having a course of some fifteen miles. This completes the list of important water-ways of the county. But suffice to say that their importance will not be lost sight of by the manufacturer who can appreciate their value for the supplying power, and as a means of navigation they place Humboldt county in the van in this respect. EEL RIVER ISLAND. Eel River Island, the only island of any particular consequence in Humboldt, is eight (8) miles long and two (2) miles wide. On it are located some of the finest farms and dairies in the Eel River Valley. The soil of the island is the very best and is noted for its richness and fertility. The amount of butter and grain raised on this piece of territory is surprising, and those who have possession there are among the most favored of Humboldt's people. On the lower end of the island has been erected a shingle-mill, which cuts 50,000 shingles per day. EEL RIVER VALLEY. Eel River Valley from its mouth to the mouth of its first tributary—the Van Duzen—is fourteen miles long and about six miles wide, containing about 54,000 acres of land. From the mouth of the Van Duzen to Rio Dell, the valley is six miles long with an average width of about one mile, and from Rio Dell to the eastern terminus of the redwood belt it is about 40 miles long with an average width of three-quarters of a mile. The South Fork Valley is forty miles long, and from a half mile to a mile in width. The Van Duzen Valley is about twelve miles long and one mile wide. On the north of the valley lies some fine table land, fertile in the extreme. From the upper end of the Van Duzen Valley to Bridgeville, a distance of twenty miles, the hills come down in places to the edge of the river, the bottom land lying in patches on both sides of the stream. In the valley of Eel river and its tributaries there is an aggregate of about 100,000 acres of bottom land, and no where in the world can a more fertile section of country be found. The soil has been formed by sedimentary deposits, and ranges in depth from one to fifteen feet. It produces abundant crops, and can not be excelled as clover land. The valley is divided into small farms and dairies, and in a few years' time, when it becomes entirely cleared of its brush and patches of timber, it will be the paradise of Northern California. As you travel up the valley, the climate becomes perceptibly warmer, the climate of what is known as the Upper Valley being sufficiently warm to render it one of the best fruit-raising countries in the State. Additional Comments: Extracted from: History and Business Directory of HUMBOLDT COUNTY DESCRIPTIVE OF THE NATURAL RESOURCES DELIGHTFUL CLIMATE PICTURESQUE SCENERY BEAUTIFUL HOMES THE ONLY COUNTY IN THE STATE CONTAINING NO CHINAMEN LILLIE E. HAMM, PUBLISHER (COPYRIGHTED) EUREKA, CALA. DAILY HUMBOLDT STANDARD NOVEMBER, 1890. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/humboldt/history/1890/historya/humboldt151ms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 20.4 Kb