The following survey of resources on Eureka’s South Park Race Track appeared in the Winter 2015 issue of the Humboldt Historian. For a bibliography of works referenced by Mr. Rohde, click here.

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Broadway Street in Eureka long served as a topographical dividing line. West of it were various wetlands, including those of the Clark’s Slough drainage, while to the east was higher, more solid ground, emphasized by a long bluff that rose abruptly just beyond the east side of the roadway. Dwellings and a few commercial buildings came to occupy the east-of-Broadway area, but there was little early development in the wetlands to the west. For decades, the most extensive constructed feature west of Broadway was the South Park Race Track.

Between 1869 and 1920 there were at least three versions of the track. The first was built by physician and land developer Jonathan Clark in 1869 (Fountain 2001:(51)5) on property originally acquired by Clark as swamp and overflow land (Fountain 2001:(67)5). This track is depicted on the 1870 U. S. Coast Survey map of Humboldt Bay. The map shows an early day road following the approximate course of today’s Broadway Street; it runs a short distance east of the Clark Slough wetlands. In the area between today’s Wabash Avenue and 14th Street the map shows a projection of dry ground west of Broadway. A causeway leads westward from this projection, crossing Clark’s Slough and the surrounding wetlands and ending at the “South Park Race Track,” an oval on a nearly north-south axis that is skewed slightly to the northeast/southwest. The track ran from today’s 14th Street (formerly Whipple Street) south to a point on a line extending due west from Trinity Street. (U. S. Coast Survey 1870; Lentell 1901).

The 1870 map shows at least four structures in the area near the eastern end of the causeway. One is I-shaped and another L-shaped. Both are long and narrow. The L-shaped building was located near the northwestern corner of Broadway and Wabash, approximately where Adel’s Restaurant and parking South Park Race Track, with houses on north end of Fairfield Street on the bluff in the background. lot are at present. The I-shaped building was situated near the corner of Wabash and Koster streets and ran north from there across Wabash into the property now occupied by SHN engineering. Given the shape of these structures, it is likely that they were stables for the horses that ran at the race track. One account indicates that a man named Frank Winters “lived in the South Park area (Wabash and Broadway),” where he rented two stables “across Broadway from the Old South Park Hotel” (Long 1977:8). The South Park Hotel was located in the 1600 block of Broadway (Standard Publishing Company:70; Pacific Coast Publishing Company 1898:115; Polk-Husted 1914:150), which would place it just south of today’s Eureka Natural Foods store. Despite the above report, it is unlikely that the stables were across Broadway from the hotel, which would put them on the east side of the street and at a greater distance from the race track. More likely they were adjacent to the hotel on the west side of Broadway, in the location of the buildings depicted on the 1870 map.

In 1887 Jonathan Clark’s son, William, built a new race track at South Park (Irvine 1915:332). It was deemed “peculiar” because “it is of saw-dust, from Flanigan and Brosnan’s mill, hauled and dumped on the marshes.” The new track was to be a mile in length. No mention was made of the length of the previous track (Fountain 2001:(67)1).

The mill referred to was the Flanigan, Brosnan and Company mill at the foot of Whipple (14th) Street, which was located a short distance northwest of the race track (Carranco 1982:199; Lentell 1901). The mill and its related logging operations were renamed the Bayside Mill and Lumber Company in 1902 (Carranco 1982:202). An undated photo shows the southeastern portion of the track, with the bluff upon which Fairfield Avenue runs clearly visible in the background. A barn-like structure below the bluff may be associated with the race track.

In 1903 William Clark had this second track demolished:

William Clark, owner of the land, has concluded that a [race] track is far from being a profitable investment and determined recently that he would subdivide at least a portion of the land, and put it on the market for sale. Carrying this determination into action, he has put a force of men at work tearing down fences, clearing out brush and doing extensive work on Murray [Del Norte] Street, which when completed, will cut the track almost in half (Fountain 2011:(67)5).

A city map from 1906 shows Clark’s new subdivision superimposed over the second race track. Both Murray Street (now Del Norte Street) and Hawthorne Street cut through the southern half of the former track (Richardson 1906).

A third iteration of the track was built in 1909, in part by Oliver Swanson, who was the proprietor of the nearby South Park Hotel. (Irvine 1915:750). One Eureka old-timer referred to it as the “half-mile track” as opposed to the “1-mile track” it replaced (Long 1976:29). Swanson operated the track under lease until 1914, “when he sold his South Park interests” (Irvine 1915:750). Because of Clark’s subdivision to the south, the new track could only run in the area between Murray and Whipple streets, which would account for the shortening of its length. An aerial photo from 1931 shows indications of two different alignments of this track (Laird, et al. 2007). The various race tracks and their operators are listed in at least six different business directories, as follows:

• 1877: South Park race track, Clark’s Addition, O. T. Rouse, proprietor (McKenney 1877:22);
• 1898: South Park Race Course, Thomas A. Haney, lessee, near South Park Hotel (Pacific Coast Publishing Company 1898:115);
• 1904: South Park Hotel and Race Track, J. McDonald, proprietor, Broadway near Wabash (Herald Printing Co.:155);
• 1911: South Park Race Track, Whipple near Broadway (Polk-Husted 1911:127);
• 1916: South Park Race Course, Broadway near Wabash (Polk-Husted 1915:202);
• 1920: South Park Race Course, Broadway near Wabash (Western Directory 1920:156);

No records have been located giving the date the race track ceased operation. A 1931 aerial photo of Eureka suggests that the track closed considerably different tracks between Whipple and Murray; they earlier. The image shows the vague outlines of two both run on a nearly straight north-south axis in still-vacant land about midway between the Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks and Broadway. They apparently represent two different alignments of the third track. An outline of the older, “one-mile” track is also still partially visible in areas that have not yet been developed. A 1948 aerial shows a similar situation, but a 1954 aerial shows much of the area south of Whipple now filled with structures (Laird, et al. 2007). The 1938 Lentell city map shows the entire area between Murray and Whipple streets now occupied by “Clark’s South Park Addition” and the “Third Enlargement, Clarks’ Addition” (Lentell 1938), although as the aerial photos indicate, these additions were yet to be fully developed. A 1947 aerial photo shows the remnants of race two tracks (Shuster 1947a). Another 1947 aerial shows the Debon Motor Company occupying the west side of Broadway at the intersection with Hawthorne Street. Running roughly parallel to Broadway approximately 50 feet to the west is a broad corridor that appears to be the remains of “mile-long” race track (Shuster 1947b).

No full account of the race tracks has been located. Several short statements provide summary information, however:

• October 1, 1869: proprietor Jonathan Clark certifies that, pursuant to certain conditions, “George McFarland is entitled to free admission to the South Park Race Track … and is also entitled … to drive his own team and train his own horses … ” (Fountain 2001:(46)94).
• September 25-27, 1872: “Fair held at South Park. Mrs. Fenton Tomlinson had charge of the Dining Saloon at South Park dairy fair” (Fountain 2001:(83)154).
• October 1, 1873: George McFarland notes that the “County Fair began at South Park” (Fountain 2001:(46)179).
• September 22, 1887: “The new mile track will not be completed in time for the Fall races of the Eureka Jockey Club. Notwithstanding, the Club has arranged for a very successful meeting, and good races will be justified by good purses. Merchants, hotel keepers and others have contributed very liberally of their funds, thus enabling the Club to offer some tempting prizes for competition on the turf ” (Fountain 2001:(67)1).
• Summer, 1911 (as recalled by John McCarthy): “It was Jake or Sid Lowenthal who went through the fence, taking out two lower boards. He passed just under the top board. Clarence Turner won the race … ; here is [sic] some of the boys who raced in the South Park races: Clarence Turner, Jake Lowenthal, Sid Lowenthal, Fred Lundblade, Roy Dennison, Grey Sequiros, Louie Warren, Fred Sundberg, Irv Falk, Wm. Donilson, Frank Maxwell, Joe Miller, Fred Cabrel, and Joe Adorni” (Genzoli 1971:9).

Newspaper columnist Will Speegel recalled harness racing at South Park: “Jacob Loewenthal owned a splendid animal that won the track speed record,” but the horse’s sister “was brought in from the Peter Hauck farm and sneaked up on her brother to give him a good drubbing and wrest much gold from the pockets of … [his] backers, among whom were the Drs. Falk, Otto Newcomb, Max Baer and others …” (Speegel 1944).

Speegel also told about another type of racing:

In the bicycle days one particularly interesting and lucrative event (for some of the riders) was staged at the South Park race track. The best riders of the state came here, and found plenty of competition from the best riders of this community. Among those who copped big prizes were Rudolph Ohman, Guy Roberts, the Hauck brothers, Lou Putnam, Bert Waite and dozens of others (Fountain 2001:(61)125).

J. W. McCarthy provides the most detailed account of the race track:

The South Park Racetrack was located on Broadway Street at the foot of Wabash and Fairfield Streets. The entrance was next to the South Park Hotel and Bar run by a Mr. Shaw. The track held both harness and running races. The harness races, both trotters and pacers, were run in heats, the winner being the one who won two of the three races. It was not uncommon to have a matched race after the regular program was run … .

Balloon ascensions and airplane flights were also made from this park: they were not always successful.

Motorcycle races were held on the track during the summer months (McCarthy 1982:65).

Today, no known remnants of any of the tracks remain.

At an unknown date a lodging house called the South Park Hotel was built on the west side of Broadway near the race track. No account has been located about the hotel or the auto court/motel that later developed next to it.

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The story above was originally printed in the Winter 2015 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.

Dexter was born in the General hospital, in Eureka, on May 3, 1945, to parents William Slade Ide Luther and Erna Dunton Luther. He was their fifth child, and the baby of the family. He died at home on January 23, 2024.

Dexter graduated from Eureka senior high in 1963, and attended Humboldt State College for a couple of years before joining the Air Force. He wanted to work in electronics, but tested high in mechanical aptitude, and spent his time in the military in Germany, maintaining electro-mechanical telephone switching equipment.

Upon discharge from the military, Dexter worked for a local television station, first manning their remote transmitter, and later in equipment maintenance. After a few years of working long hours for a small salary, Dexter went to work as an electrician for Caltrans. His thirty plus year career at Caltrans started in San Bernardino, and included a short stay in Stockton before he returned to Eureka.

Retiring from Caltrans didn’t end Dexter’s career as an electrician. He was a life member of the Timber Heritage Association, and spent several afternoons a week at their Samoa facility, often as their volunteer electrician. Visiting relatives would often be invited to tour the historic logging equipment and railroad memorabilia of the Timber Heritage Association.

Dexter was an amateur radio operator, and a lifetime member of the Congregational church.

Dexter was preceded in death by his parents, and his sisters, Maybelle Luther, Mary’l (Don) Atterbury, and Grace (Roy) Summers. He is survived by his brother, Guy (Judy) Luther, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Viewing will be at Sanders Funeral Home from 2 to 6 p.m. on February 8, 2024. Services will be held at the United Congregational Christian Church, on February 9, 2024, at 1 p.m.

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

Raymond Harold Chilton
March 10, 1945 – Dec. 21, 2023

Raymond was born on March 10th, 1945, to Raymond Edgar Chilton and Roberta Elizabeth Green. He was raised in Willow Creek and spent his summers swimming in the Trinity River. Raymond attended Hoopa Valley High School, where he lettered in track. As a teen, he also learned auto mechanics from the hours spent working on cars and trucks with his father. Mechanics would be a lifelong skill.

After high school Raymond joined the Navy and was stationed in Hawaii. After he was discharged from the Navy, he made his way back to Willow Creek and began a career in the timber industry, which began a lifelong love affair with logging and living in the mountains. Raymond’s hobbies included riding his Harley and writing poetry.

Raymond passed away on December 21, 2023, in his home in the mountains which is where he wanted to be.

He is survived by his six children, Johnny Chilton-Randle, Marie Chilton, Elizabeth Chilton-Parker, Harley Chilton, Joseph Chilton, his step-daughter Carol Snyder, life partner Ellen Callaghan, siblings Connie Chilton-Jones, Jeff Chilton, Jimmy Chilton, and numerous grandchildren, nephews, nieces, sons-in-law, and daughters-in-law.

A Good Lesson

When I was young…Oh, just a kid,
Fool around in school is all I did.
“Son”…said Dad “if your grades aren’t better,
You’ll wind up being a choke setter”.

Well, I was sittin’ on a log…yesterday…
A’ thinkin’ back…I could hear him say,
“Son, in the woods, do the best you can,
For loggin’s gonna make you a man”.

Well dig my grave with an old D-8.
In this land of toil,
Plant a fir tree in my heart,
Because I love this soil.

— Raymond Chilton, 1981

Updated financial disclosure forms submitted to the City of Eureka this week reveal that backers of the “Eureka Housing for All and Downtown Vitality Initiative” raised $290,000 and spent $314,415.27 through the end of last year.

Compare that to the $2,900 raised and $1,932.08 spent by the Committee Opposed to the Housing for All and Downtown Vitality Initiative and you get a spending ratio of roughly 163-1.

We say “backers,” plural, in reference to the financiers behind the “Housing for All” campaign, and that’s technically true – but only because former Renner Petroleum owner Michael Lawrence Renner, who now lives outside Las Vegas, chipped in $500. The rest of the contributions — more than a quarter of $1 million — have come from Security National Properties Holding Company, the real estate acquisition and servicing firm founded by Robin P. Arkley, II.

As of this latest disclosure form, the campaign has roughly $27,000 in debt.

On the other side, the committee fighting against the Housing for All initiative has built its comparatively modest war chest largely via $100 donations from Eureka residents. The largest donor thus far is Eureka City Councilmember G. Mario Fernandez, who chipped in $800.

As a refresher, the Eureka Housing for All and Downtown Vitality Initiative would, if passed by voters, amend the city’s General Plan to rezone the former Jacobs Middle School property, which was recently purchased by a mysterious buyer who has so far refused to identify themself or their plans.

It would also add an amendment that would functionally block a number of planned housing development projects downtown by requiring that they be built if and only if the existing number of parking spaces are preserved and additional parking is built for residents.

The measure will appear on Eureka ballots in the November Presidential Election.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• The Eureka City Council Wants Developers to Build Affordable Housing on Three City-Owned Parking Lots
• Eureka Planning Commission Chair Jeff Ragan Abruptly Resigns, Citing ‘Grave Concerns’ Over City’s Approval of Housing Projects on Three City-Owned Parking Lots
• The City of Eureka is Gearing Up to Turn Three More Parking Lots into Affordable Housing Developments, Including the Two Lots at City Hall
• Arkley Threatens Lawsuits, Referendum, Recall Drive Over City of Eureka’s Plans to Convert Parking Lots to Housing
• Eureka City Council Postpones Vote on Proposed Parking Lot Land Swap
• ‘Furious’ Rob Arkley Says He’s Moving Security National HQ Out of Eureka After Clashing With City Staff About Development Priorities
• New Group — ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ — Says It Will Sue Eureka Over Downtown Housing Development
• Here is the Housing Development/Parking Lot Lawsuit Served on the City of Eureka Today
• Arkley-Affiliated Group ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ Files Second Lawsuit Against the City Over Development Plans
• Local Group Announces Intent to Stop the City of Eureka’s Conversion of Downtown Parking Lots Into Housing With New Ballot Measure
• Wiyot Tribe Makes Its Case, Convinces Eureka Council to Reject Staff Pick and Award Affordable Housing Development Projects to Tribal Land Trust Agency
• Group Circulating Eureka Housing Petition Says the Wiyot Tribe’s Projects Are OK, Clarifies That Parking Lot Conversions Will Be Allowed So Long as Developers Build Even More Parking Than Before
• Eureka Gets $30 Million Grant for Housing Projects That the ‘Housing For All’ Initiative Hopes to Block
• New Coalition — ‘I Like Eureka Housing!’ — Formed to Oppose Arkley-Backed Pro-Parking Lot Initiative
• (UPDATE) Arkley-Affiliated ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ Files Two More Lawsuits Against the City, Aiming to Block Linc Housing Developments
• Security National Has Spent at Least $236,000 on the Pro-Parking ‘Housing for All’ Initiative So Far
• State Attorney General’s Office Joins the Fight Against the Pro-Parking Group ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’

Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office press release: 

Pamela Van Hoek, age 69, of Redway, was reported missing on Feb. 2, 2024 by her son. She was last seen that day in the 300 block of Oakridge Drive in Redway. Van Hoek suffers from medical conditions which may put her at increased risk.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Pamela Van Hoek, please contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251.

DATE LAST SEEN: 2/2/2024

LOCATION LAST SEEN: 300 block of Oakridge Drive in Redway.

DESCRIPTION: White female, shoulder length gray hair, blue eyes, 5 feet 5 inches tall, and approximately 150 pounds. She was last seen wearing a gray rain jacket, green cargo pants, and carrying a light blue purse. 

PREVIOUSLY

• Film Set to Shoot in Eureka is From Renowned Director Paul Thomas Anderson, With Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Regina Hall, According to Industry Reports
• (PHOTOS) Hollywood Magic Transforms Cutten Plaza Into a Mexican Mini-Mall for DiCaprio Movie Production
• Northtown Arcata Will Be Swarming With Movie Folk Tomorrow, As Bigtime Production ‘BC Project’ Films in the Neighborhood
• (WATCH) First Look at Leonardo DiCaprio In Character for New Paul Thomas Anderson Film Currently Filming in Humboldt
• MOVIE DAY! My Diary of Hanging Around Waiting For The Stars to Show Up In Northtown, and the Things I Saw There

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Well, that was fun!

Hollywood came to Humboldt for 11 days, bringing one of the industry’s most revered auteurs and one of its biggest stars. 

Crowds gathered outside the Murphy’s in Cutten and flocked to Northtown Arcata hoping to get a glimpse of Leonardo DiCaprio and/or Paul Thomas Anderson, and with at least one notable exception, they were not disappointed. 

via GIPHY

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Much remains unknown about the Warner Bros.-produced film, which is going by the working title “BC Project,” but a few online sources are now going so far as to “confirm” what has long been suspected: that the movie will be an updated adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland,” which largely took place in a fictionalized version of Humboldt County.

In addition to confirmed stars DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Regina Hall, more cast members were revealed today by The Hollywood Reporter and other sources: Teyana Taylor (“A Thousand and One”), Wood Harris (TV’s “The Wire”), Shayna McHayle (“Support the Girls”), newcomer Chase Infiniti and, most excitingly for this reporter, Alana Haim, who made her magnetic film debut in Anderson’s last feature, “Licorice Pizza.”

The Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission today issued the following press release

That’s a wrap! The feature film known as the BC Project wrapped [locally] yesterday after 11 days of filming on the redwood coast.

“They are still wrapping out of some of the locations and area in general, so you might still see a truck or two, but filming is now complete,” expressed Cassandra Hesseltine, the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commissioner.

The film commission was first notified by the location team for the studio feature film in April of 2019. “We are honored to have been on their radar for all these years and for the project to finally come to fruition,” stated Hesseltine. The location department is usually our first point of contact and the last one to leave town.

Hesseltine was honored to work with such a high caliber of individuals on the location team for the film as they have all worked on well-known projects (i.e. Transformers, Westworld, Inception, Captain Marvel, Interstellar, The Dark Knight Rises, and more).

It’s still in the early stages for the economic impact details on the spending within the region but it is apparent that the Warner Brothers movie brought a sizable outside dollar amount during our off season. The area not only benefited from economic impact during filming but as the production scouts, preps, and wraps out. Numerous locals were hired as cast and crew as well as vendors of all kinds were necessary to supplement the production. 

“This is especially important during our off season as restaurants and hotels benefited during the slowest time of the year. The same amount of spending by a production in July is way more impactful in January when we do not have an influx of travelers already in town,” stated Hesseltine.

Filming on the Redwood Coast not only brings in outside dollars to the community but also impacts the region in other ways. Long after the films and productions have left, the Film Commission focuses on film tourism which is known to sometimes bring in more outside dollars to an area than the original filming.

With the new programs launched last year, Redwood Coast Museum of Cinema and Forest Moon Festival, the Film Commission has researched why filming and film tourism is important to our area. “It’s not just about the money. It’s about quality of life for the people who live here, the experience that one feels viscerally when seeing the giant trees for the first time after watching the speeder chase scene throughout your childhood, and the pride we feel when we get to brag that something as special as our favorite movie filmed here,” beams Hesseltine. “Life can be challenging and there are all kinds of ways it can be difficult. It’s nice to work in an industry that can help make you feel good for a minute while reeling on this rock through space. Good times!”

The Film Commission would like to thank the community for helping to host a production of this size that was in the public eye. “We could not have done it without all the film friendly locations, government partners, businesses, vendors, and individuals who help make the redwood coast shine. The production has not stopped talking about how beautiful the area is, how kind the people are, and how they can’t wait to come back for other projects,” Hesseltine declares. 

The Film Commission states that more information regarding the economic impact, details of the production’s filming in the region, and release date will come at a later time.

PREVIOUSLY:

• SWAT Team Deployed to 14th and Union in Eureka After Report of Stabbing; Barricaded Suspect With Hostages; Streets Closed in the Area
• EPD Names Suspect Killed in Yesterday’s Standoff, Police Shooting; 43-Year-Old Eureka Man Had Sliced Two Juveniles’ Necks With a Knife, Police Say

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Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

The two Humboldt County Sheriff Deputies involved in the January 22, 2024 officer involved shooting are Deputy Johnathan Waxler and Deputy Colton Ross. Deputy Ross has over six years of service and Deputy Waxler has over 5 1⁄2 years of service. Both Deputies remain on paid special leave.

The autopsy has been performed and the preliminary cause of death is due to gunfire. The toxicology results are still pending.

This is an ongoing investigation and additional information will be released in accordance with state law.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact Detective Donald Bailey with the Eureka Police Department Criminal Investigations Unit at 707-441-4215.