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Why the Lost Coast is Lost
Humboldt Bay is the only deep water port between San Francisco and Coos Bay, Oregon, an area stretching about 600 miles. There is no other coastline in the continental U.S. that goes so far (300 miles) without a deep water harbor. Despite being the best harbor for such a long expanse of rugged coastline, Humboldt Bay remained undiscovered because it's extremely difficult to see from the ocean. A very narrow and treacherous opening to the harbor limits the bay's usefulness and scares off captains of ships. If it sounds like Humboldt Bay is risky to approach by water, it's even more difficult to approach by land. The rugged coastal mountains extend 150 miles in from the ocean and create a barrier to the outside world. These mountain ranges follow a general southeasterly to northwesterly direction, and the major river drainages of the Trinity, Mad, and Eel Rivers all flow northwest to the ocean. Explorers found these barriers nearly insurmountable. Today these same barriers contribute to the isolation of Humboldt County. For hundreds or even thousands of years, several Indian tribes existed in Humboldt and lived simply. The Hupas and Yuroks lived along the rivers and the Wiyots lived on Humboldt Bay. The rivers were full with salmon, and the bay was plentiful with shellfish and waterfowl. It was these Indians who first "discovered" Humboldt Bay. Probably the first people the Indians saw were Japanese and Chinese. Their primitive junks were caught in the eastern drift of the Japanese current and thrown upon the rocky shores of the California coast. "Indian legends tell of yellow-skinned men thus cast ashore and adopted by the tribes, perhaps hundreds of years before the coming of the first white men's ships." During the 1800s, it is known that many Chinese and Japanese craft wrecked along the Pacific coast, adding credibility to this legend. "Most historians agree that the European discovery of California began in 1542 with the voyages of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer in the employ of Antonio de Mendoza, Viceroy of New Spain." The Cabrillo expedition was meaningful to Humboldt Bay's history because it is believed that its sailors were the first Europeans to see the northern California coast. However, since there is no firsthand information, it can only be surmised that Cabrillo was the first Spaniard to sail through Humboldt waters. From 1565 to 1815, the Spanish frequently traded with the Philippines. The Manila galleons sailed from Mexico to the Philippines and returned along the northern California coast. The only contact Spanish ships made with the northern California coast was with Cape Mendocino. The wooden Spanish ships were no match for the dangerous, rocky coastline of California. To make matters worse the low visibility, stormy weather, contrary winds, and fog-shrouded waters increased the chance of accidents. The Spanish had to keep their ships far offshore which made locating the nondescript bays and points impossible. From 1565 to 1815, the Spanish added no new information about the northern California coast. It may seem that the Spanish were not interested in finding new ports; however, this is not true. Usually the crews were weakened with scurvy, the ships needed repairs, and supplies needed to be replenished. They also were looking for possible harbors for protection from pirates and enemies. The California coast was just too dangerous for them to explore or to settle. Spain was not the only country exploring California's coast. When Elizabeth I became queen in 1558, she pursued English expansion. One of her noblest sailors, mariners, and pirates, Sir Francis Drake, was sent to raid Spain's Pacific ports and to explore the northeast corner of the Pacific. While searching to plunder the Manila galleons, Drake reached 42 degrees north off the coast of Oregon. "No one is absolutely certain that Sir Francis Drake entered Trinidad Bay with the 'Golden Hinde' in 1579, when he visited New Albion, as he called California. However, it is strongly suspected that he did visit the Humboldt coastline." Drake added nothing to the information about the location of Humboldt Bay and its surrounding area because his navigational charts were in Spanish and taken from seized ships. In the next fifty years, Spanish explorers continued to look for a safe harbor. Sebastian Rodriguez Ceremenho, a Portuguese captain, was appointed by the Spanish to find a suitable port. On July 4, 1595, he set out from Manilla. He first saw land on November 5 at 42 degrees. He mapped the coast from 41 degrees to 30 degrees surprisingly accurately, but missed Humboldt Bay which is located just south of 41 degrees. Later in May of 1602, Sebastian Vizcaino a Spanish galleon commander set sail with three ships to survey and map the California coast. The most northerly point he reached was either 41 degrees or 43 degrees. Although he didn't discover Humboldt Bay, he did locate what was probably the Eel or the Mad River. "For 15 decades following Vizcaino's return in 1603, there is no record of any Spanish ships on the northwest coast. Seldom has the history of any section of the globe been stranger." Despite 200 years of ships passing the northwest coast of California, Humboldt Bay, the best port for hundreds of miles, and the surrounding region were never discovered. From 1725 to 1775, the Russians set up outposts along the Pacific coast ranging from Alaska to Fort Ross, just north of San Francisco. Their primary interest was engaging in the prosperous sea otter pelt trade. Working for the Russian-American Fur Company in 1806, Jonathan Winship in his ship the O'Cain stumbled upon Humboldt Bay while looking for sea otters. He entered the bay, made a crude chart of it, and named it the Bay of Rezanof after an agent who employed him. He reported that the bay resembled the Bay of San Francisco, but strong southwest winds made it unnavigable. As the sea otter trade diminished, interest in California began to decline. For nearly 50 years, no other ships entered Humboldt Bay. Although coastal exploration decreased, inland the story was different. White men, interested in the gold and fur resources, made settlements east of the coastal mountains in Trinity and Siskiyou counties. Supplies were needed for the mining camps, and they needed to ship gold out. It was widely believed that the Trinity River emptied into Trinidad Bay. In 1849 Josiah Gregg, a doctor from Missouri, led an expedition of 7 men to find an overland route to the Pacific Ocean. Gregg began his trek from the Weaverville gold camp. According to L.K. Wood, one of Gregg's company, "Here commenced an expedition, the marked and prominent features of which were constant and unmitigated toil, hardship, privation and suffering. Before us, stretching as far as the eye could reach, lay mountains, high and rugged, deep valleys and difficult canyons, now filled with water by the recent, heavy rains." They had 150 miles to travel over the coastal mountains with 2 months supply of food carried by mules. Gregg simply headed west with no maps and the knowledge that he would inevitably encounter Indian tribes. They soon entered dense redwood forests, which were extremely difficult to penetrate, because the giants often lay across the ground. The group had to lead their mules around every redwood tree, permitting them to average only 2 miles per day. Another factor that slowed the group was that Gregg constantly stopped to measure latitude, redwood trees, or whatever terrain they confronted. Near starvation, Gregg's party finally emerged from the redwoods at the Pacific Ocean. They celebrated by eating a bald eagle. They were about 8 miles north of present day Trinidad. They walked south past Trinidad and soon reached a river. Gregg's group wanted to cross the river with no delays, but Gregg insisted on taking his measurements. The party ignored his comments and boarded several canoes. Furiously, Josiah Gregg jumped into a canoe as it was departing and kept silent until they reached the other end. Then Gregg went berserk. He cursed every member of the group and made insulting comparisons about his companions. The party considered murdering Gregg and depositing him and his instruments into the river. They thought better of it. The river was aptly named the Mad River by Gregg. Soon they found Humboldt Bay, and they allowed Gregg to conduct his measurements. After stocking up on food, the group walked back to San Francisco to report their discovery of the bay. Josiah Gregg was the first person who conquered the geographic isolation of the Humboldt region by penetrating the dense redwoods and enduring the hardships of the coastal mountains. Once the sea captains from San Francisco knew that there was a port to the north, it motivated them once again to search for a coastal route and find the long-sought-for bay. After the Gregg Expedition, two ships from San Francisco made a voyage in March 1850 to enter Humboldt Bay. The General Morgan couldn't penetrate the heavy swells on the bar, so they were forced to stop in Trinidad Bay, unable to enter Humboldt Bay. The Laura Virginia stopped in Trinidad Bay and set two parties of men on land. One was to find Humboldt Bay by walking south. The party found the entrance to the bay, and it was decided to send a small boat through the entrance before the Laura Virginia was to enter. Two other small boats followed. The next day, April 14, 1850, the sailors from the Laura Virginia entered the bay and named it Humboldt Bay after Baron Von Humboldt, a famous naturalist. They began the settlement of Humboldt City on present day Buhne Point. The sailors of the Laura Virginia formed the Laura Virginia Association and began the development of the area. On May 12, 1853, Trinity County was divided into two parts. The western portion was named Humboldt County. From 1860 to 1900, there was enormous growth in Humboldt County. Agriculture was a booming industry in Humboldt. Potatoes, oats, barley, peas, corn, hay and butter were shipped out of Humboldt Harbor in large numbers. Humboldt supplied all of San Francisco with peas. Fishing was a flourishing industry in this time period, but lumber exceeded every other export from Humboldt. One acre of land yielded 1,000,000 board feet of lumber. The giant redwoods previously thought unfit for market were in demand in places like Mexico, South America, Sandwich Islands, Australia, New York and other eastern states. There were no attempts at reforestation as lumberjacks tore down the trees from the countryside. Ships were the only way in and out of the three big cities of Eureka, Bucksport and Union (now Arcata), so the harbor was a very busy place. Ships of all kinds waited in the harbor for goods. Steamers took passengers to and from San Francisco. In 1876, one thousand ships entered Humboldt Bay. Humboldt County was booming and experiencing growth like it never would again. The bay and the redwoods, once obstacles to its discovery, were proving to be the greatest factors in its growth. For many years Humboldt Bay was the only easy access to the outside world. Only stagecoach roads ran to the east and south. Finally, in 1914, a railroad was completed that joined Eureka to San Francisco. "Undoubtedly, road construction in Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties ranks high among the world's most difficult roadbuilding terrains because of heavy rainfall, rivers that rise 60 to 100 feet almost overnight, nearly sheer slopes, and unstable foundations that are constantly sliding." Highway 101 was constructed in 1920 providing relatively reliable linkage to the south, but some sections were unpaved until 1925. Highway 299 followed much later providing a connection to the east. An airport in McKinleyville was built by the U.S. Navy in 1942. As ground and air transportation increased, the importance of the bay decreased. Although linkage to the outside world has improved, the geography and climate still keep Humboldt County isolated. Fog at the airport sometimes delays or prevents flights. Landslides on Highway 101 and 299 can close access to the south, north and east. Railroad maintenance repairs have prevented service to the south for as much as a year at a time. In an attempt to understand how the economy of Humboldt Bay could be diversified and strengthened, a report was commissioned by the city of Eureka and Humboldt County. In 1991, the Humboldt Bay Development Plan was published. One suggestion was to devote a part of the bay to offloading container ships from Japan, which would create many more jobs in the area and make the economy less reliant on the timber industry. Trade with Asia is becoming more and more frequent, and it takes one day less for a ship from Japan to get to Humboldt Bay than it does to San Francisco. But the cold truth is that there isn't enough local population to purchase these products. Unlike San Francisco, Humboldt cannot put these products on the railroad and ship them to the western U.S. quickly. It is so far away from populous areas that trucking seems out of the question. Once again, the geographic isolation of the area must be confronted. Four additional proposals for developing Humboldt Bay appear to have potential: tourism, commercial fishing, U.S. Naval vessel calls and cruise ships. To make the waterfront attractive to tourists from land or sea, the ugly, abandoned buildings must be torn down and replaced with vessel support services, restaurants, retail stores, parks, etc. Fishermen want shore side working space to mend nets, conduct repairs and load equipment. A facility catering to them would be beneficial. Improving the waterfront would also attract navy ships and cruise ships to Humboldt Bay. All these proposals sound promising, but the isolation of the area must be kept in mind. For 450 years geographic isolation has defined Humboldt County's history. The future of this area remains unknown. History teaches us that the redwoods, coastal mountains, and the Pacific Ocean will determine its character. Isolation is Humboldt County's identity. However, with the advent of the Information Age, isolation will no longer be a limiting factor in Humboldt County. Internet pages like this one will not be held back by the impenetrable redwoods or coastal mountains. Now we can enjoy the beauty of our isolation, and still join the rest of the world on the Information Superhighway.
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The geographic isolation of
the northern coast of California, also known as the Lost Coast, prevented it from being
discovered until virtually all of the continental United States was mapped out.
"While other parts of the American continent were changing from wilderness to
civilization; while the New England colonies were establishing footholds; while the
Declaration of Independence was being signed in Philadelphia; while Lewis and Clark
struggled through to the Columbia River, the northern California coast remained a strange
and unknown land." The unique geography of Humboldt County played a major role in its
history, and it still does today. Humboldt Bay, the coastal mountains, and the redwoods
have defined this region's history and will define its future. 