Of all the early logging and lumber towns of
northwestern California, Eureka is the most interesting
to visit. Its logging industry is not altogether defunct,
and the heritage of the area is remembered in several
good museums.
Part of the downtown core of Eureka is "Old
Town" -- several blocks of restored and recreated
buildings from the late 1800s, which are positioned near
the waterfront. The city fathers decided, during the
1960s, to preserve the decaying area by gutting the
impossible-to-renovate buildings and rebuilding the rest.
The present town is a tribute to their foresight and
perseverance.
First and Second (Two Street to history-minded locals)
are the central streets in the preserved quarter. Here
are several good restaurants including the Carter House
Inn -- a re-creation of a historic San Francisco mansion
-- and the Romano Gabriel Sculpture Garden at Second and
D streets. The Carson Mansion is worth a gaze for it is
one of the state's best examples of gingerbread
Victoriana. This state historical landmark at the head of
2nd Street is now a private men's club and the inside is
not accessible to outsiders. Sequoia Park at Glatt and W
streets includes a modest zoo with sea otters, elk,
prairie dogs and other wildlife, as well as picnic sites,
trails through the trees, and flower gardens. The Eureka
Chamber of Commerce, at 2112 Broadway (707-442-3738) has
a walking tour map of Old Town with descriptions of the
historic buildings.
Eureka Museums
Eureka provides an excellent focus for history buffs,
with several worthwhile museums to visit. The Clark
Memorial Museum is located in a columned building (a
former bank) at Third and E streets in Old Town. The
museum includes an extensive collection of artifacts of
the Yurok, Hupa and Karuk tribes, such as woven baskets
and dance regalia. These tribes inhabited the forests,
shores and mud flats of Humboldt Bay before the gold
searchers and loggers arrived in these parts.
Another replica -- of the first home built in Eureka,
the McFarlan House -- is the Humboldt Bay Maritime
Museum, containing lighthouse displays and other
memorabilia of the sea. The museum operates its own
cruise boat, the Madaket, a former ferry which
celebrates its 90th birthday in June 2000. It's the
oldest passenger vessel in the United States, and takes
visitors on fascinating harbor tours. It left regular
ferry service with the completion of the Samoa Bridge,
and began its new life as a tour boat in 1972. Another
claim to fame for the vessel is its status of having the
smallest licensed bar in the state.
The Fort Humboldt Museum and State Historical
Park is on Fort Avenue, at the south end of town. The
original fort was the most northerly military post on the
Pacific Coast during the mid-1880s and was commanded by
General Ulysses S. Grant for a while. There are steam-era
engines and other artifacts, old logging equipment and a
wood-burning steam engine that offers rides during summer
months.
Scenic Drives & Parks
The best scenic drive in the area is the road that
crosses Humboldt Bay via the Samoa Bridge. The bay is
hemmed in by two long peninsulas with a channel to the
ocean between the two spits of land. The road crosses to
the Samoa Peninsula and then turns north toward Arcata.
The city operates an 18-hole golf course at 4750 Fairway
Drive.
North of Eureka and Arcata is the North Humboldt
Coast, with a scenic coastline, and the communities
of Trinidad and McKinleyville. This part of the coast
offers excellent places to stay, and several notable
parks, including Patrick's Point State Park, and Redwood
National Park. For information on this area, go to the
Trinidad Page, and
also several pages on Redwood
National Park.
