Ferndale, California Ferndale .
Ferndale, California Main Street in Ferndale Main Street in Ferndale Location in Humboldt County and the state of California Location in Humboldt County and the state of California Ferndale, California is positioned in the US Ferndale, California - Ferndale, California Ferndale is a town/city in Humboldt County, California, United States.
Ferndale is the northern gateway to California's Lost Coast and the city, which is sited on the edge of a wide plain near the mouth of the Eel River, is also positioned near the extensive preserves of Coast Redwood forests.
Before American settlement, Ferndale was a glade of enormous ferns reaching more than six feet, surrounded by alder, willow, Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, coast redwood, swampy territory and windswept prairies.
The marble Centennial Plaque for Ferndale, California, on Main Street in Ferndale, erected in 1952.
In August 1852, Allard and the Shaw brothers borrowed a canoe from the Wiyots in the Table Bluff region and rowed it athwart the Eel and up Francis Creek to arrive with their supplies to the approximate vicinity of Main and Shaw streets. In September 1852 they cleared a five-acre region of ferns and began building a cabin near the base of the Wildcat Road even though Allard was sick with the ague. By January 1853, twelve men were living in the Shaws' cabin including Seth Kinman, who provided the group with meat, and Joe Russ (1825-1886), whose later holdings encompassed the Fern Cottage Historic District. About this time, Stephen Shaw painted the portrait of Wiyot elder Kiwelattah (or Ki-we-lah-tah) and kept a specified journal of two years of trying to expanded plants in cold coastal fog. Seth Shaw settled in the region now marked by Main and Lewis streets where he began assembly of the now-historic Shaw House on his property in 1854. The Shaw House served as the area's first polling place in 1854, postal service in 1860 and courthouse in 1863. Seth Shaw was justice of the peace and postmaster, and his home served for many gatherings although it was not rather than until 1866. After having been away from the region for two years, Stephen Shaw sold his holdings in 1856 to Welsh-born Francis Francis (1818-1877) who later established the city's water system:67 through pipes laid initially in 1875. Other small suburbs were established around Ferndale, including Centerville, Port Kenyon, Waddington, Grizzly Bluff and Arlynda Corners.
Produce from Ferndale was shipped out via Centerville and transferred to ships at anchor offshore before to the opening of docks at Port Kenyon in 1876. In 1865 the first shipment of coal petroleum from the Union Mattole Oil Company was shipped through Ferndale to San Francisco. While the earliest pioneer were English speaking from England, New England, Canada or Ireland, waves of immigrants appeared in Ferndale from Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Portugal and China. Danish pioneer founded and assembled Our Savior's Lutheran Church in 1899 and dedicated Danish Hall, which had been assembled as a warehouse by Arnold Berding in the late 1880s, on October 10, 1929. The Swiss who settled in Ferndale from Italian- and German-speaking families encompassed the Oeschgers who moved to Ferndale in time for Joe Oeschger to play baseball at Ferndale High School before going to a longterm position in Major League Baseball.
Mark's Lutheran Church in 1906. Except for three Portuguese brothers who appeared in the 1870s and a several from mainland Portugal, most came from the Azores islands between 1900 and 1915. Ferndale Portuguese have jubilated their traditional Festival of the Holy Ghost since 1924. Chinese appeared in California in the earliest gold-rush days, and were settled in all parts of Humboldt County almost as soon as English-speaking whites. They worked in gold quarrying on the Klamath and Trinity Rivers, before settling mostly in Eureka, with a several in outlying suburbs like Ferndale where two Chinese owned clothes washing businesses. Chinese workers assembled parts of the Wildcat Road between Ferndale and Petrolia, dug out the water reservoirs for the Francis Water Company and worked at two fish canneries on the Eel River, although - as in the rest of California - they were not truly welcome. In 1885, after a town/city councilman of Eureka was shot dead in the crossfire from two warring Chinese tong gangs, 480 Chinese inhabitants were rounded up in two days and forced to relocate to San Francisco. A year later, the Cutting Packing Company brought in a crew of Chinese for the season. Following a heated meeting at Roberts Hall in Ferndale between small-town inhabitants and an upset delegation from Eureka, the business guaranteed the workers would come nowhere near town and they were allowed to stay until the fishing season was over in December. Chinese crews were used again at the same cannery in 1887 and 1889. In 1906 Eureka and Fortuna people were again up in arms at Ferndale's violation of the unwritten law of the county when the Starbuck-Talent Canning Company of Port Kenyon brought in 23 Chinese and four Japanese to work at the cannery. After threats of mass action, the Chinese were taken to an old cookhouse on Indian Island from which all caucasians were barred and where they were held until they left by sea. The Japanese were permitted to keep working for Starbuck-Talent. Ferndale was incorporated in 1893. Dairies were established from the Bear River Ridge to the south side of the Eel River starting in the late 1860s. Filled kegs of butter were transported along the beach river by four-horse squads from the Mattole to Centerville or Port Kenyon and the squads returned supplies from Ferndale. The eighty-one dairies from the southern region faded as the territory along the Eel River Valley was settled for dairying, first by the Danes and later by other settlers. In the 1880s multiple cooperative creameries in the Eel River valley began to process milk into butter; by 1904 the Central Creamery on Main Street Ferndale had combined the lesser operations into a more undivided manufacturing facility. The use of paper wrapping on butter to reduce air oxidizing the product was pioneered here at the suggestion of Chester E.
Ferndale was a crossroads village and provided lodging, horses, blacksmithing and other services both to individual travelers and the Overland Stage and Express line which ran from Eureka to Cloverdale with connections to San Francisco over 80 hours of traveling for a cost of $20. The first stage line was established in 1862 with daily trips from Eureka, Centerville and Petrolia. In 1868, twice weekly stages ran to San Francisco and by 1871 daily service was available.
Main Street businesses supplied the needs of not only the Ferndale area, but for the inland Mattole Valley as well. They encompassed banks, hotels, stables, range and merchandise stores, hardware and grocery stores, farm and machine implements, butchers, blacksmiths shoemakers, barbers, tailors, miliners, saloons and gambling halls, billiard parlors, coopers, doctors, dentists, drug stores, lawyers, engineers, surveyors, real estate agents, a several photographers, furniture manufacturers, undertakers, a telegraph office and a Wells-Fargo office.
Telephone and telegraph wires were run into the valley by private companies in the 1890s; by 1899 it was said that the telephone was in "almost nominated use in this valley." In 1900 the telephone line was extended to the Mattole Oil fields in Petrolia. In 1911, the Eel River and Southern Telephone business merged operations around Ferndale, and on February 6, 1960, dial telephones were introduced; the old switchboard and crank phones are on display at the Ferndale Museum. The Ferndale Enterprise journal was established on 11 May 1878 by three sons of the small-town Methodist minister and has presented continuously since then, while moving offices and shifting from semi-weekly to weekly publication. Ferndale incorporated with a vote of 89 in favor and 47 against on 17 August 1893 primarily to organize drainage and prevent dogs and other animals from running loose, as stated to the earliest ordinances enacted. In 1915 the current firehouse was assembled as combined firehouse and town/city hall. The Hunneman end-stroke torrent pumper used by Ferndale for over 40 years pictured outside the Victorian Inn about 1890.
After the 1875 fire which nearly finished south Main street was put out by volunteer bucket brigades, and other lesser conflagrations, the City purchased a used Hunneman hand pumper fire engine on April 14, 1883. The end-stroke torrent pumper had been assembled in the 1850s and been shipped west in the 1860s. The name on the side of this engine was "Franklin" because the town/city bought it from the Franklin Fire Company of San Jose, California.
The engine was transferred to the newly formed Ferndale Fire Department when they organized in February 1897.
In November 1923, after 41 years in service, the hand pumper was shipped to the American La - France Company, "as part payment on the fine new pumper recently purchased by this town." Other sources say the engine was sold to a Hollywood film company. Modern equipment appeared in 1905 with a motorized pumper engine, in 1917 with a Model T truck with chemical tanks and in 1948 the Hook and Ladder Company formed. In 1883, water supplies were merged in small-town cisterns under present-day State Route 211 which were later filled in and water from the hill reservoirs was used to supply the hydrants. In 1902 the fire alarm was placed in a wooden structure at the corner of Brown and Main which fell over entirely in the 1906 earthquake (see below) which led to the bell being hung at the firehouse, and a steam-whistle at the Creamery used for the fire alarm from 1906 until electric sirens came into use in 1931. The nationwide landmark Ferndale Public Library was instead of in 1910 with small-town funds and an $8,000 Carnegie grant. In 1876 the Ferndale Cemetery Association was established which manages the 5.03 acre burial ground. Location of Ferndale, California Ferndale is positioned at 40 34.6 N 124 15.8 W. Its locale south of US 101, is very close to the mouth of the Eel River as it enters the Pacific Ocean.
By car, Ferndale is 265 miles (426 km) north of San Francisco and just 12 miles (19 km) south of Eureka.
California State Route 211 is the primary road connecting the town/city with US 101.
Directly to the south of Ferndale is the Lost Coast region, whose geology and terrain has made it very difficult to establish routes through the area.
It has thus made that region only accessible by territory via small county mountain roads, such as Mattole Road, running from Ferndale south to Petrolia.
According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, Ferndale has a total region of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2), all of it land.
Ferndale experienced earthquakes in the 19th century, but the first shock to receive widespread news coverage was the 1906 San Francisco earthquake which damaged more than 40 structures in the downtown, with harsh damages to the two brick buildings, and 98 percent of chimneys thrown down.
Seventeen years later, on January 22, 1923, a 7.2 earthquake centered off Cape Mendocino was said to be nearly as great a shock in Ferndale as the 1906 earthquake.
On August 20, 1927, an earthquake centered about 60 kilometres (37 mi) west of Arcata caused considerable damage around Humboldt Bay, and damage reports from Ferndale encompassed broken chimneys, merchandise tossed from shelves and china and glassware broken. Smaller earthquakes were recorded from the 1920s through the 1980s, but the next big earthquake to strike Ferndale was actually three big earthquakes.
The first "Best of the West" festival parade was in progress on April 25 when the first of three shocks of the 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquakes arrived, shattering the glass windows of the stores out onto Main Street. The brick facade of Valley Grocery collapsed, and police estimated damage to 80 percent of the downtown buildings. Between 30 and 40 homes were knocked off their foundations from the first shock which was centered about 35 miles (56 km) south of Eureka and had a magnitude of 7.2. The other two large earthquakes that hit inside 18 hours of the first shock, calculated magnitude 6.5 and 6.7. Both a large landslide and a several small landslides occurred on the Mattole Road which also cracked due to downhill slumping and soil compaction of the road shoulders. Damages in Ferndale were estimated at $10.4 million. Ferndale Ferndale's climate is moderated by being close to the Pacific Ocean and in the lee of the Wildcat Hills.
Ferndale has a warm summer Mediterranean climate pointed out by the code "Csb" on some weather maps. The average annual temperature is 46.0 F (7.8 C): January is the coldest month, July is the warmest. The record high temperature was 92.6 F (33.7 C) set in August, and the lowest ever recorded was 19.0 F ( 7.2 C) in December. Ferndale's average snow flurry is zero, however rare dustings of snow have happened. Ferndale receives most of its nearly 50 inches (130 cm) of precipitation from November to May, with lesser amounts in the summer months.
Climate data for Ferndale, California The 2010 United States Enumeration reported that Ferndale had a populace of 1,371.
The ethnic makeup of Ferndale was 1,281 (93.4%) White, 1 (0.1%) African American, 22 (1.6%) Native American, 20 (1.5%) Asian, 2 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 17 (1.2%) from other competitions, and 28 (2.0%) from two or more competitions.
On July 18, 2013, the California Employment Development Department identified Ferndale as having the second lowest unemployment rate (1.7%) of all metros/cities in the state, led only by Carmel-by-the-Sea. Ferndale, sometimes also referred to as "Cream City", is known for well-preserved Victorian store-fronts on chief street and homes throughout the community, which are also known as "Butterfat Palaces," due to their assembly wherein considerable richness was generated in the dairy industry.
Six historic buildings as well as the Ferndale Main Street Historic District and the Fern Cottage Historic District are inside or around Ferndale are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ferndale Public Library Other points of interest include the Ferndale City Hall, Ferndale Museum, Ferndale Cemetery, St.
Every February since 1997, Ferndale has hosted 'The Ferndale Fray,' a slot car race with the highest attendance of this type of event anywhere in the world.
Each March since 1977, runners have taken to the streets of Ferndale and encircling Eel River Bottoms for the Foggy Bottom Milk Run.
Each May since 1969, Ferndale is the finish line of the annual Kinetic sculpture race.
The race began in Ferndale when Hobart Brown was challenged to race his odd-looking five-wheeled bike down Main Street on Mother's Day, 1969 by small-town sculptor Jack Mays. City Hall Park was deeded to the town/city by the Village Club in 1918. The triangular park was filled with material graded from the southern end of Main Street, and a Clubhouse (now City Hall) was rather than in 1931. The building was styled to look like an English cottage, although shingles were used in place of traditional thatch. The fireplace was sent from England as t from the daughter of a resident. Its granite comes from a Welsh quarry and was chiseled in San Francisco. The Gazebo which contains Ferndale's California Historical Landmark Plaque is at the north end of City Hall Park.
It includes a large dance and meeting pavilion with attached kitchen. The Ferndale Children's Center has occupied one end of the pavilion since 1991. Russ Park, positioned three blocks east of Main Street on Bluff Street, is open sunrise to sunset. Four hiking trails cross the mature forest in the 105-acre park donated to the town/city by Zipporah Patrick Russ on 31 October 1920. The deed includes "That the property be used forever as a park and recreation grounds as a refuge and breeding place for birds." Dominant trees include Sitka spruce and Douglas fir with a several redwoods which were planted in the 1930s. More than 100 kinds of birds are known from the park, which is the southern extent of the Pacific Northwest temperate rainforest. Guy Fieri receives the key to the town/city of Ferndale from the Ferndale City Council at a special council meeting, 23 November 2012. Ferndale was incorporated in 1893 and is governed by a four-member City Council and a Mayor, all of whom serve four-year terms chosen in the general election of even-numbered years.
In the state legislature, Ferndale is in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Mike Mc - Guire, and the 2nd Assembly District, represented by Democrat Jim Wood. Federally, Ferndale is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman. Ferndale Elementary The Ferndale Unified School District has two schools, the Ferndale Elementary School with grades K 8 and the Ferndale High School.
The elementary school is older; it dates back to the 1860s with school rooms and homes in various locations.:212 In 1890, school trustees started a new building, but it and the old building were completely finished in an arson fire before it was finished.:214 A replacement three-story, redwood Greek Revival building was put up after the September fire and in time to open in February, 1891.:212 The stucco one-story building which presently homes the Ferndale Elementary School was assembled in 1924.:215 The baby-boom of the 1960s resulted in classes at the Fairgrounds as well as the addition of four modular classrooms (since removed), and the assembly of a gymnasium in 1967.:215 The following year, the closure of the Assumption Catholic School (1915 1968) quickly increased enrollment as 117 students transferred and the rising enrollment resulted in the addition of five major classrooms and a playground.:215 In 1976 the building was retrofitted for earthquakes.:215 The high school was established in 1904 by the unification of lesser school districts athwart the Eel River Valley, including Port Kenyon, Island School, Grant School, Salt River School, Coffee Creek School, Grizzly Bluff School and Pleasant Point School.:209 The initial building was in use from 1907 to 1951 when it was replaced by the present high school facility.:212 Enrollment in 2004-2005 was 175 students in grades 9 to 12. Ferndale has an active sports program with junior varsity and varsity softball, volleyball, basketball and football.
The first Ferndale Wildcat versus Fortuna Huskies "Milk Can" football game was played in 1945 and each year since with approximately 20 years hiatus.
Fortuna had won more games than Ferndale, as of 2013, the record was 27-20-1. In 2011, the Milk Can was stolen from Ferndale High School amid a break-in by three Fortuna high school students, thrown over a bluff, and later recovered by police. Ferndale is home to the earliest journal under a single name in Humboldt County, the Ferndale Enterprise. Commercial airways broadcast KHUM operates in a joint studio with KXGO and KWPT.
Ferndale is also home to the North Coast's earliest theatre company, The Ferndale Repertory Theatre which has been in operation since 1972. Navy Housing to Ferndale Mayor Jeff Farley at the Navy Housing Picnic Shelter in Ferndale, California, on October 23, 2011.
The 52-unit Ferndale Navy Housing was assembled as part of this project.
The Ferndale City Council voted to purchase the housing from the Navy for $1.00 on 1 September 2011. The town/city began negotiations with the non-profit O'Rourke Foundation, part of the Bertha Russ Lytel Foundation, to take over and run the 52-unit universal as an affordable housing project.
The Navy housing is ten percent of the available housing in the city. The 24 single-family homes, 14 duplex townhouses, three playgrounds and two improve buildings of the former Navy Housing were transferred from the Navy to the town/city in a enhance ceremony with Congressman Mike Thompson on October 23, 2011.
The Ferndale water fitness was installed by Mr.
Ferndale's spring water comes from 28 individual springs which produce 113 gallons per minute. Historic tunnels under the hillside and a million gallon underwater reservoir collect and store water before distribution. As a secondary origin of supply, water may also come from Van Ness Treatment Plant which can supply an average of nearly 30 gallons per minute. The Del Oro Water Company rather than the Ferndale Mainline Replacement Project in 2011 which encompassed larger pipes and new valves to reduce the number of customers affected amid line repairs. Ferndale's first sewage treatment facility and combined sewage fitness was assembled in 1953 and upgraded in 1973, 1994 and 2001. Improvements were made to the sewers in 1989 under a $400,000 universal funded by the California State Water Resources Control Board to advancement the compilation fitness and reduce inflow and infiltration. Less than ten years later, El Nino storms in April 1998 caused Williams Creek to change course due to debris blockage. Williams Creek had been the primary tributary of the Salt River near the treatment plant, so diversion lowered the volume of water available and caused the dilution ratios at the plant to exceed permitted levels. Record stormwater flows also damaged the plant and the town/city applied for assistance under the FEMA-1203-DR-CA El Nino storm Presidential disaster declaration. On 15 May 2003, the Regional Water Board (RWB) placed a Cease and Desist order on Ferndale due to discharges of treated wastewater which exceeded 1 percent of the flow of Francis Creek / Salt River stream system. The town/city paid a $48,000 penalty to the RWB and agreed to complete an surroundingal universal instead of paying $78,000 more in penalties to the RWB and began replacing the old plant in 2009. The new wastewater plant was instead of in 2011 and provides tertiary treatment for nearly 1,500 commercial and residentiary users. The only other wastewater facility like Ferndale's in California is in Colfax. Some of Ferndale's historic buildings at Legoland, California.
Ferndale has been featured in movies including The Majestic with Jim Carrey, Outbreak starring Dustin Hoffman, and made-for-television movies Salem's Lot starring David Soul and James Mason, and A Death in Canaan. and Joe Dirt Many of Ferndale's buildings have been recreated at the Legoland California infamous park - the only American small town represented alongside New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas and other nationally known locations.
Ferndale was settled by many Danes, and Lego is a Danish company.
In 1995, Legoland staff took hundreds of photos in Ferndale, and used over 1 million Lego bricks to recreate the town in the Miniland section of the park. "California Cities by Incorporation Date".
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Biographical directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005: the Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States, from the First through the One Hundred Eighth Congresses, March 4, 1789, to January 3, 2005, inclusive.
"Off the hook: Food Network to premiere "Chefography" on Ferndale native Guy Fieri".
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ferndale, California.
Ferndale Chamber of Commerce site has an event calendar, history of town and much more knowledge Ferndale History Museum is an active research institution Ferndale's Carnegie Library Municipalities and communities of Humboldt County, California, United States
Categories:
Ferndale, California - California Historical Landmarks - Cities in Humboldt County, California - Incorporated metros/cities and suburbs in California - Populated coastal places in California - Populated places established in 1893 - Tourist attractions in Humboldt County, California
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