Visitors to early Humboldt County seemed compelled to describe lyrically the area’s natural beauty, the friendliness of its people, and the great varieties of wildlife to be found.

Humboldt’s pioneers also appreciated the area’s beauty, but the most compelling problem for them was how to make a living in all that abundance. Many turned to one special aspect of the county’s natural endowment; the fish and other aquatic life that thrived in its streams and ocean. Of these, salmon and “salmon-trout” (steelhead) were the most sought- after but by no means the exclusive focus of this interest-other aquatic species were also important. The main purpose of this article is to explore the way early Humboldters tried to earn a living fishing for three of the county’s “other fish,” as reported in the Humboldt Times newspaper (in its various forms and titles) and other published material. Concluding paragraphs will tell about the “funny fish” that tickled reporters’ fancies.

Whales

Whales produced considerable income for Humboldt fishermen for a few decades. As early as September, 1854, the Times reported “immense shoals” of whales found offshore and suggested that with proper equipment local entrepreneurs might do very well in the whaling business if they established a processing plant on the bay. A few months later, the newspaper reported that a whaler, the Canton Packet from the Sandwich Islands, had been lying off the Humboldt bar, seeking whales but finding none; soon after she gave up and sailed south, a large pod of whales appeared in the area. At that time. Captain H. H. Buhne was rigging his small steamer, the Mary Anne, to hunt whales when it wasn’t being used on towing jobs. The California Whaling Company, a new enterprise based in Benicia, was also fitting out whalers for use along the Pacific coast.

During the following summer, small boats from Buhne’s Mary Anne harpooned several humpback whales, which were tried out at facilities on Humboldt Point. One of them yielded twenty-eight barrels of oil, and others possibly more. By 1863, crews from the Mary Anne had killed a total of 114 whales. This was not serious whaling; the “shore-whalers” fished by day and spent their nights at home. The pioneer lumberman James Ryan tumed to whaling part-time when his main business slumped.

During this period. New England whalers—the big boys in the business—resumed operations in California (they had shunned it during the Gold Rush because crewmen often jumped ship to work in the gold fields), and whaling communities were springing up all along the California coast, from Crescent City to Mexico. Whaling ships crowded every inviting cove and estuary until coal and petroleum products killed the demand for whale oil in the marketplace. But by then, California’s whale populations had already been seriously depleted; only a few whales were left by 1875.

Humboldt’s shore-whaling industry of the 1800s was shortlived. Except for an 1861 report that the Crescent City Whaling Company had moved its operation to Trinidad (where it did poorly), the whaling industry faded from the news. In subsequent years, dead whales that washed ashore merited passing notice, but the saga of the early Humboldt whaling industry seems to have been wrapped up with this whimsical item in the January 23, 1875, issue of the Times: “The theory has been started that since the usefulness of whales has largely diminished through the discovery of mineral oils for illuminating purposes, the animal might be domesticated and employed for towing ships.”

Sharks

Shark fishing in Humboldt Bay presents a similar picture of overfishing and loss of market. From 1855 into the 1860s, shovel-nosed sharks were fished extensively for the oil found in their liver, but then they too dropped from the news, except for scary reports of fishermen who suddenly met sharks unexpectedly, and brief items about large dead ones that washed ashore.

Sharks, like the whales, were found in immense numbers; one early report tells how men working on a floating pile driver clubbed thirteen in a half-hour period, which yielded twenty-six gallons of “clear, beautiful oil.” In 1857 some fifteen or twenty small, flat-bottomed boats hunted sharks on the mudflats. Each craft held two men, one to handle the boat, the other the harpoon. The technique was simple; during ebb tides the sharks moved leisurely from one channel to another, exposing their fins as they crossed shallow water. They paid no attention to fishermen pursuing them until the harpoon struck; then they went wild, thrashing about, charging the boat, snapping furiously at anything in their way.

Other Humboldt Bay shark fishermen used hooks and line in deeper channels at high tide, chumming and baiting their hooks with seal meat, which attracted sharks from great distances; the fish would follow the scent near the surface, then dive for the bait on the bottom.

Shark fishing was dangerous work, and more than one report told of men’s hands and arms being mangled. In 1877, well past the heyday of Humboldt’s shark industry, a flounder fisherman drawing in bis line suddenly was confronted by a shark with huge jaws and a terrifying double row of teeth. The shark grabbed his bait, and although the intrepid fisherman managed to grab the beast by the tail and dispatch it with a club, he walked around for some time afterward with one arm in a sling.

These sharks were not small; typical length ranged from four to nine feet. Among six displayed in early May, 1858, near the railroad depot, two were 10 feet long and weighed 300 pounds apiece. Offshore sharks were even larger: a twenty-one-foot bone shark weighing an estimated 3,000 pounds was taken in Crescent City harbor in 1855; in 1873, a thirty-seven-footer-eight feet thick-presumed to have succumbed after “an unpleasantness with his natural enemy, the whale,” washed ashore near the Humboldt lighthouse.

Flounders

Although not as exciting as whales and sharks, flounders were a notable Humboldt export during the latter half of the 1870s through the 1880s. The fish first made news in 1874, when several hundred of them-weighing up to ten pounds apiece-were shipped to the San Francisco market, where they sold for thirty to thirty-five cents a pound. Soon, many hookand-line fishermen began fishing incoming tides, enticing the flat, cross-eyed fish off the bottom by the thousands. By 1876 the Times reported that flounder fishing was becoming “quite an industry here.” More than 100 men were fishing commercially; in February, 1876, the steamers Pelican and Humboldt shipped out eight tons, and similar shipments were reported in subsequent years. In the 1876-77 season (November-Febmary) the amount of fish shipped increased two-thirds over the previous year, but with the vagaries of the market, the income from these shipments increased by only 40 percent.

Although great quantities of founders remained in the bay, and many were still shipped as late as 1887, the Humboldt fishermen lost out to San Francisco Bay Area fishermen in the market, as suggested by this Times item of January 1888: “The fish that went to San Francisco last steamer brought eight cents per pound for salmon, and two and one-half cents per pound for flounder, and during the bad weather last month, when the fishing boats could not fish in San Francisco Bay, or go outside the bay, flounders brought eight cents per pound.”

Ultimately, Humboldt flounders overwhelmed the market. The profit margin-which during the 1870s had been twelve or more cents per pound-dropped to the point where little money was to be made in the flounder industry.

And Funny Fish…

Among the various species of fish commonly found in Humboldt County, unusual specimens resembling ones found in other parts of the country occasionally showed up in fishermen’s catches. When newsmen reported the strange fish, they often included the adjective genuine before the name, imparting a sense of awe that such fish were actually found in Humboldt waters. Thus, terms such as “genuine speckled trout,” “genuine downeast cod,” and “genuine black bass” commonly appeared in fishing reports. Other catches of unfamiliar fish-sometimes fish that local experts could not identify were described in painstaking detail.

Here are several such reports, gleaned from the Humboldt Times by Duane Wainwright:

December 19, 1874. Devil Fish. “One of that somewhat rare, at least in these waters, and ungainly looking aquatic animals was captured on the bay shore near Pearson’s Foundry yesterday. The arms, feet or whatever else they may be called, measured some eight feet from tip to tip. An accurate and intelligible description of this curious specimen is beyond our power….”

December 7, 1878. Sun Fish. “Mr. W. Morrill, of thiscity, has a genuine sunfish, which was cast ashore on the beach and captured a short time since. It fills the description given of that fish to a nicety, being nearly circular in form, shining surface and soft finned-two very small in a line with, and about four or five inches back of the eyes; and two long and narrow near the tail-one above and the other below….”

December 27, 1879. A Queer Fish. “Somebody reports…the finding of a queer fish in the Klamath River which is called the ‘candle fish.’ It is only about eight inches long when grown, is impregnated with oil throughout, and when thoroughly dried can be lighted at either end and will burn like a candle and give an excellent light. It also makes palatable food.”

July 11, 1885. Unknown. “At the fish market on H Street, yesterday afternoon, there was a fish that none of the fishermen could name. Even Geo. Heney, who is familiar with every ‘monster of the deep,’ from shrimp to sperm whale, gave it up. The fish resembles in shape a shark, and is about one foot in length. It is of a dark color with small white spots. The head resembles an animal’s more than that of a fish, and has a set of teeth like a weasel. It has been preserved in alcohol.”

April 17, 1890. A New Edible Fish. “The USS Albatross, while making soundings from Point Reyes to Point Arena, found a new fish, unknown to the markets, in deep sea soundings from 100 to 400 fathoms. It has been named “deep sea sole,” and it belongs to the family of flounders. It has been pronounced a very delicate, fine-flavored fish.” 

A Rare Fish “Ed Nichols, of Arcata, sent to the Times yesterday a fish that struck our local anglers dumb with amazement. It is about four feet long, the head being nearly round and armed with a mouth full of long fang-like teeth. The body is long and tapering. Altogether the thing is a regular piscatorial nightmare….”

And from the Femdale Enterprise on November 26, 1891: A Curious Fish. “Mr. Fred Kendall, of the Eel River cannery, sent us the other day a very curious looking fish, evidently a stranger in Eel River waters. It is about eighteen inches in thickness. It has a big hump on its back, five under fins and a partial hawk-bill.”

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The story above was originally printed in the Summer 1996 issue of the Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society. It is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.

A. Elaine Gosselin
Sept. 22,1928 – June 5, 2024

Elaine Gosselin was born September 22, 1928 and raised in Eureka, where she attended Lincoln Elementary School through Eureka High, graduating from EHS in 1946. Elaine spent most summers growing up, helping her Aunt Irma cook for ranch hands at the Sunny Basin Ranch in Bridgeville. This was during WWII, and Elaine learned a lot from her aunt in addition to cooking & baking – like how to make meals stretch, the value of a dollar, as well as vegetable gardening.

After graduating Eureka High, Elaine worked in the office for Brizard-Matthews Machinery Company. In 1948, Elaine married Tony Gosselin and together they built a life, which included lots of hard work. Tony spent long hours at the tire business, Tony Gosselin & Sons’, and Elaine ran an in-home daycare while raising their own three girls and three boys. Later, they would discover a love for RV’ing and spent their retirement years on the road, traversing the entire U.S., being gone months at a time.

Elaine started several family traditions that will live on: the annual siblings camping trip every summer; the “birthday lunches” with the girls; the Gosselin Family Christmas reunion; and, waving good-bye each and every time one of her visitors left (initially, on her front porch and later, from the living room window). This wave good-bye over the years has been nicknamed “The Elaine Wave.”

Her love of nature, visiting and laughing over a good card game, and her devotion to her family were uniquely embedded in her wonderfully energetic and lively spirit. Indeed, she had many special traits, including letter writing. She was so thoughtful and always thanked you either with a phone call or note, or both. She was the beloved matriarch of the Gosselin family and will be deeply missed.

Elaine’s parents, Norton and Blanche Johnson; her sister, Mildred Harper; brother Arthur E. Johnson; grandson, Bryan Hubbard; husband, A. J. ‘Tony’ Gosselin, Jr; and, son-in-law, Peter Presnell, preceded her in death.

Elaine is survived by her six children, Ann Gosselin, Steve (Betsy) Gosselin, Paul (Melanie) Gosselin, Marie (Dave) Eberhardt, Terrie (Dan) Cruz, and Joe (Sherrie) Gosselin; and, grandchildren, Chad (Kari) Gosselin, Angie (Paul) Ubaldi, Chris (Suji) Shobert; Sara (Casey) Cassidy, Amy (Huna) Borden, Matt Eberhardt, Marc (Sara) Eberhardt, Sara Farley, Jacob Eberhardt, Shane Gosselin, Shannon (Ted) Alves, Travis (Shanae) Gosselin, Crystal (Jeff) Mayberry, Will (Brianne) Morgan, Kenny Cruz, Katie (Shawn) Maples, Cody (Nikki) Cruz, Jenae (Doug) Alves, and TJ Gosselin; as well as thirty great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren and numerous other family members and friends who lovingly called her by her nickname, “Grandma Goose.”

The Gosselin family is deeply grateful for the years of attentive, loving care Elaine received from her caretakers, Reina and Mike Earhart, who made the last years of Elaine’s life as comfortable as they possibly could be.

To honor Elaine’s wishes, there will be no services.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Elaine Gosselin’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

Walter George Hasiuk (George)
April 30, 1941 – March 10, 2024

It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my father Walter “George” Hasiuk on March 10, 2024 in Eureka.

My father was born in 1941 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to mother Emilie Sarah Craig and father Walter Hasiuk. Most of my father’s childhood was spent in New Jersey and he graduated from Audubon High School in 1958. After high school, he served in the Army from 1964-1967 stateside. After briefly coming home, he moved to Florida where he met and married my mother Jackie Wales.

They picked out Eureka on a map, and in 1970, with my mother in her final term of pregnancy, and made the drive across country. My father claims that they took one whiff of the pulp mills and decided to try Ukiah, but the car broke down at Fernbridge and “the rest is history.” (My mother tells the story differently.)

They set up house, and I was born shortly after. He joined the local Laborers Union and his first job was on the new Samoa Bridge. Most morning, he could be found at the local union hall playing Tonk with his fellow laborers while they waited for work. He remained a laborer until his retirement in 2003.

They divorced around 1975 and my father eventually moved to Fields Landing, where he rented out the house and lived in the garage while saving up money. Several years later, he bought a condemned house in Manila, which he renovated and lived in until his death. It was his sanctuary, and he spent hours sitting in a rocking chair in the back yard working on wood sculptures and watching the birds.

My father had many hobbies including wood sculpting (which he emphatically differentiates from wood “carving”), collecting anything and everything that could possibly be useful, hunting, archery, motorcycles, boats, photography, and attending yard sales always looking for great finds. If you needed a tool, he probably had 20 of them, and was happy to share. He was also an avid agate-hunter and went to the beach daily in his quest for agates, rocks, and interesting driftwood to use as a basis for his sculptures. He went so often, that he was adopted by a family of ravens who would follow him along the beach as he fed them dog kibble. They knew the sound of his truck and would come to his parking spot when he arrived. This continued for over two decades. He said he was often photographed as he and his entourage trailed down the beach.

He is survived by his daughter Michelle Hasiuk, granddaughter Sarah Hasiuk, niece Erica Miller, as well as his biological son Steve and his children Scott and Stephanie. Sadly, his only brother Robert passed exactly two weeks after his death.

My father is greatly missed by family, friends, and neighbors.

Per his request, he was cremated, and no service will be held. If you would like to remember my father, please make a donation to a local animal rescue group in his honor as he adored animals, especially dogs (whom he preferred to people.) His dying wish was to have his ashes buried along with the ashes of his mother and my chihuahua Joey with whom he shared a special bond.

Gordon Jerry Nitsch, a longtime resident of Coalinga, California, died at his home on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. He was 89 years old.

Gordon was born in Boelus, Nebraska to Rudolph and Eunice Young Nitsch. In 1937, the family moved to California and settled in Cutten. From the age of four he told everyone he wanted to be a truck driver.

He attended the local grade and high school where he was active in the band program playing a trombone. It was at Eureka High School where he met the love of his life, Janet Still. Gordon and Janet sat next to each other in band. When there was a test involved, Gordon would play her part. They both held up their trombones at the same time, Gordon would play, and Janet would just pretend to play.

He graduated from high school in 1952 and in 1954 Janet and he were married. They moved into a small house in Cutten that Gordon and his father had built.

His first job was for Precision Lumber Company as a truck driver, but in 1958, he was drafted and entered the US Army. After basic training, he was sent by ship to serve in Germany. Speaking of ships, he disliked the voyage so much that he very rarely ever set foot on a small boat, let alone a large ship , for the rest of his life. Janet followed him soon after to Germany. He spent his entire enlistment in Germany, and he and Janet traveled the continent when Gordon could take time off from his duties.

After they return from Germany and his release from the Army , he began working for Precision Lumber Company in Eureka again. Soon after the birth of their first son in 1960, (Gerald) Jerry, he was given the opportunity to move to Coalinga to oversee the companies trucking interest of hauling asbestos ore from the local mines to the mills in the nearby mountains. Their second son (Ronald), Ron was born in 1964 in Coalinga.

After the mining closed in the early 1980s, and after 33 years with Precision Lumber Company, he went to work for a local oil contractor, Bud’s Equipment as a truck driver.

In 1989 he lost Janet to cancer. He worked at Bud’s until his retirement.

In retirement, he enjoyed working in his yard, visiting with close neighbors, and spending time with his family. He was always willing to listen to any person‘s problems and give them some advice if he thought it would help. Gordon was a fun person to be around, and he had a loud, wonderful laugh. When he told stories of the past, there was always a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes . He will be missed.

Gordon survived by his brother Doug and sister-in-law, Doris, and sons Jerry and Ron; daughter -in-law Andrea, and grandchildren, Lauren, and Andrew . He is also survived by nieces, Barbara Valdriz and Sue Bradbury.

Graveside services will be held in Eureka at Ocean View Cemetery on June 11, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Gordon Nitsch’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

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Press release from Humboldt Bay Fire:

On 6/06/2024 at 11:41pm Humboldt Bay Fire responded to a reported Commercial Structure Fire at the 600 block of E Street in Eureka. Humboldt Bay Fire responded with 1 Chief Officer, 3 Engines and 1 Truck for a total of 13 fire service personnel. Additionally, 1 volunteer Fire Support personnel responded and provided traffic control.

The first unit (Truck 8181) arrived on scene in minutes and reported smoke coming from the eves of the commercial structure and split the crew, two crew members went interior and two went onto the roof. A quick size up of the structure was completed and the location of the fire was identified. Battalion Chief 8103 arrived on scene and established Incident Command (IC). The second arriving unit was assigned to search. The next arriving unit was assigned to fire attack and were working for the interior crew.

The fourth arriving unit was assigned to RIC (Rapid Intervention Crew). A Second Alarm was requested by the IC, that brought 1 additional Engine from Arcata Fire, and 1 Chief Officer from HBF to the scene. 1 Engine for coverage was also requested from Samoa Fire. The fire was controlled in 10 minutes and there were no occupants in the structure upon the arrival of the first fire apparatus.

Humboldt Bay Fire remained on scene for an additional 2 hours to completely extinguish the fire and conduct a cause and origin investigation of the fire. The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental in nature. PG&E arrived on scene and disconnected the electrical and gas service to the structure. There were no civilian or Firefighter injuries and the value of the property is estimated at $1,500,000.00 and damage from the fire is estimated at $75,000.

Smoke Alarms Save Lives. Humboldt Bay Fire would like to thank PG&E, Arcata Fire, Samoa Peninsula Fire, and EPD for their assistance on scene and providing coverage to other emergency calls during this incident.

Video: Andrew Goff

PREVIOUSLY: 

• Fatal Single-Vehicle Car Crash Into Bayside Grange Early This Morning; Power Out Across Bayside, Sunny Brae

Arcata Police Department releases:

On Thursday June 6, 2024, at 7:13pm, The Arcata Police Department responded to an injury traffic collision in the 2000 block of Eleventh Street. A stolen silver Infinity SUV, driven by 28-year-old Sienna Jordan Gebro, was traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on eleventh street, prior to colliding with a parked box truck.

Gebro sustained life threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital where she is expected to survive. Charges are pending for driving while under the influence and possession of a stolen vehicle.  

The Arcata Police Department requests anyone who witnessed the collision to contact the APD Investigations Unit at 707-822-2424.

# # #

On Friday June 7, 2024, at 2:19am, The Arcata Police Department responded to a single vehicle fatal traffic collision in the 1800 block of Old Arcata Road. A silver Toyota minivan was traveling southbound on Old Arcata Road and left the roadway at a high rate of speed. The van traveled across Jacoby Creek Road striking multiple traffic features and a power pole, which resulted in a loss of power to the area. The van struck the Bayside Grange and became lodged inside.

The driver, who was the only occupant of the van, was rescued from the vehicle by arriving officers. Life saving efforts were attempted, but the driver succumbed to their injuries and was pronounced deceased by medical staff at the scene. The release of the driver’s identity is pending notification of next of kin. Drugs and alcohol are considered a factor in this collision.

As of the time of this press release, efforts to safely extricate the vehicle from the structure are under way.

The Arcata Police Department requests anyone who witnessed the collision to contact the APD Investigations Unit at 707-822-2424. 

Help is on the way as we tread through great tribulation. Press release from the County of Humboldt:

Supplied graphic.

The County of Humboldt’s Economic Development Division will partner with global engineering and advisory consultancy, Xodus Group, to work on a critical project to assess and map the local and regional workforce, supply chain needs and upcoming opportunities within the emerging offshore wind industry.

Xodus will undertake a sector gap analysis and opportunity assessment at a local and regional level, actively engaging interested parties to set out capabilities, analyze the broader offshore wind landscape and inform understanding.

By assessing relevant groups across the local, regional and national offshore wind sector, a comprehensive database of interested parties will be developed, paving the way for engagement through a combination of in person and virtual interviews and surveys. These learning sessions will inform key areas of interest in the study, highlighting needs as well as opportunities and actively engaging key contributors to describe local and regional capabilities.

“We need to gain a fuller understanding of the workforce and business resources our region has to offer the offshore wind sector and the opportunities this new industry presents. We hope to identify where we can meet those needs and opportunities, and where the gaps are,” said Humboldt County Economic Development Director Scott Adair. “This project will help ensure that Humboldt County workers and businesses can fully participate in this emerging industry. We are really looking forward to beginning this work with Xodus and our local partners.”

“The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a roadmap of strategic actions that prioritizes initiatives for supply chain and workforce development in the region, driven by in-depth community engagement, ” said Hillary Bright, US, VP of Renewables at Xodus. “By drawing on lessons from existing programs, the roadmap will identify and examine key parameters for effective and equitable implementation in Humboldt County and the greater Redwood Coast region.”

This collaborative effort between County of Humboldt and Xodus highlights a shared commitment to responsible offshore wind development that centers on community and input from those with vested interest. By leveraging the expertise of both parties, this partnership will drive economic growth and foster a resilient future for Humboldt County.

This project is being funded through a Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act grant under the preview of the Humboldt County Workforce Development Board.