Fifty years ago today the first marijuana grower was busted in Humboldt County.  The beginnings of what was to become one of the most robust economies ever to fill North Coast pockets were humble.  The grower bumbling.  The officials either bored out of their minds with nothing to do or over zealously convinced that marijuana was the demon weed that must be eradicated at all costs.

I told this story 2 years ago but in honor of a half century of Humboldt grows I wanted to tell it again.

The trickling waters of Strawberry Creek, just outside of Dows Prairie (not too far from the Arcata Airport), washed past the first marijuana plants ever found growing in Humboldt county by law enforcement.  Apparently, Eugene Francis Crawford pioneered the illegal guerrilla marijuana business here.  In fact, he may have been the first marijuana grower ever in Humboldt County.

Crawford (aged 28 at the time) was arrested Friday, Sept. 29th, 1960 by Deputy Gene Cox who later became Sheriff (and was slain in a high profile shooting that rocked the county.)  Crawford, who was carrying a box and a shovel at the time of the arrest, claimed to be digging for fishing worms.  The deputies however claimed he slipped down to the property from his home only 260 yards away to transplant what the Eureka Humboldt Standard called “the first growing marijuana to figure in a narcotics case in Humboldt County.”

The “more than two dozen” three inch high plants about 2 ½ weeks old, barely discernible as cannabis,  were staked out by Cox and another deputy for some time.  The deputies believed that Crawford had purchased seeds and sold seven plants previously.  Investigating him for “several weeks,” they discovered where the small marijuana plants were growing on another person’s property and “staged a long stake out” of the crime scene.  Cox said he had been there “on previous occasions with negative results.”

On the day of the arrest, Deputy Cox hid nearby from “early morning’ until noon when he arrested Crawford who had yet to touch the plants.  This late in the season the danger of the plants growing to flower was fairly negligible as Cox explained to the media, “If left, they probably would have died with the first frost.”

Crawford, while never having been arrested on narcotics charges before was no novice to the prison system.  In fact, he had just been released from the county jail the day before this arrest.  Over the preceding decade, he had been charged with a variety of low level offenses including theft of beer.

The trial (which was reported as being for a Charles Crawford though that is not consistent with arrest or conviction information) began March 7, 1961 and ended, a scant 3 days later, March 10, 1961 unhappily for the defendant.  Reluctant to convict, the jury was summoned by the Judge at midnight to demand results which were still strongly divided. A 9-3 in favor of a guilty verdict was required for conviction.  The jury finally returned “in the early morning hours” after again being summoned by an apparently unhappy judge.  This time the verdict was guilty as charged.

Members of the jury, including alternates, were Gerald Chapelle, Ernest W. Colt, Robert Dilleshaw, Audrey M. Robinson, Lynford Scott, Carol J. Sellers, Irena Gates, Alex Brizzard, Gladys Buttram, Charlotte Dabler, Francis Mott, and Sandra McKenzie. The Judge was Donald H. Wilkenson.  The attorneys were John Quinn for the prosecution and Blaine McGowen for the defense. If anyone remembers any stories or knows any of these people, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Strawberry Fields

by The Beatles

Let me take you down, ’cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields.

Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.

Strawberry Fields forever.

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.

It’s getting hard to be someone but it all works out.

It doesn’t matter much to me.

Let me take you down, ’cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields.

Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.

Strawberry Fields forever.

No one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low.

That is you can’t you know tune in but it’s all right.

That is I think it’s not too bad.

Let me take you down, ’cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields.

Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.

Strawberry Fields forever.

Always no sometimes think it’s me, but you know I know when it’s a dream.

I think, er No, I mean, er Yes but it’s all wrong.

That is I think I disagree.

Let me take you down, ’cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields.

Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.

Strawberry Fields forever.

Strawberry Fields forever.

Strawberry Fields forever.

Story gleaned from old articles in the Eureka Humboldt Standard