Moving 55 miles up the coast, we have landed in Eureka. Eureka is the largest coastal city between San Francisco and Portland, the westernmost city of more than 25,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states and our home for the next couple of nights.
Our first, of many history lessons, was learned at Fort Humboldt, situated on a bluff overlooking Humboldt Bay. This remote military post was established in 1853 to assist in conflict resolution between Native Americans and gold-seekers and settlers who had begun flooding into the area after the discovery of gold in the northern mines.
Today, only the hospital building remains of the original fourteen structures. It is now a historical museum dedicated to telling the story of the Fort and the various Native American groups. A historic medicinal herb and vegetable garden was recreated adjacent to the Hospital.
It was during its first few years that Fort Humboldt was home to one of its most famous residents, the young Captain Ulysses S. Grant. The isolation of Fort Humboldt did not appeal to Grant, and after serving as commanding officer of Company F for six months, resigned his commission.
As entrepôt for hundreds of lumber mills that once existed in the area, the city played a leading role in the historic West Coast lumber trade. The entire city is a state historic landmark, which has hundreds of significant Victorian homes, including the nationally-recognized Carson Mansion, behind us.
The home was built between 1884–1886 for lumber baron William M. Carson. This project was designed to keep mill workers and expert craftsman busy during a slow period in the industry. The attention to details was astonishing.
Across the street from the Mansion sits another grand Queen Anne. The home was built in 1889 by William as a wedding present to his son, John. This stunner is for sale for only $1.1 million. I think it's a deal.
We read about Eureka Books and knew we had to stop in. It is one of the last classic antiquarian bookstores on the West Coast, offering books and ephemera in all fields and price ranges. New books and used books, as well as collectible and rare volumes and even a shelf of "free". We were duly impressed.
It is located in the heart of Old Town in an elegant Victorian storefront, built in 1879. It quite possibly is my new favorite.
We were thoroughly impressed by Tribute to Architecture and Performing Arts, by Duane Flatmo, on the Arkley Center of Performing Arts. It is not only amazing, it is one of the largest murals in northern California measuring 70 feet by 70 feet.
Eureka's founding and livelihood was and remains linked to Humboldt Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and related industries, especially fishing so a brief stroll down the Boardwalk was a must.
Dinner at Lost Coast Brewery was the perfect conclusion to our day. The Lost Coast Brewery and Café began in 1986 with Barbara Groom, a pharmacist, and Wendy Pound, a family counselor, wondering what it would require to start their own brewpub. After much research and the 1989 purchase of the Pythian Castle, a 100-year-old building, the café was ready to open. The building, a restored wood frame structure constructed in 1892, was purchased from the original owners, The Fraternal Order of the Knights of Pythias. The Lost Coast Brewery and Café became a living dream in July of 1990 and another meal eaten in history for us.
Here's to tomorrow... whatever that offers us. Cheers!
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2 comments:
Eureka Books looks like a fun bookstore. I haven't been. But I have seen the two mansions, like mother like son. I agree that 1.1 million is a good deal. What a gorgeous house.
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My hometown, must be overrun with untreated heroin addicts by now on 2nd and 3rd st. right between the Carson Manson and the parole office among the Victorians(that are for sale in the rust-belt for pennies on the dollar.)
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