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This excerpt was taken from the diary of Kate McFarlan, which she kept from August 23, 1874 through December 4, 1875.

Kate was the oldest of seven children, two of whom died as infants. Her parents, George and Catharine, moved to Humboldt from St. Andrews, New Brunswick and began their family. According to the 1870 census, George was a logger.

The diary documents Kate’s last two years as a young, single woman in Eureka. It is filled with dances, picnics, boating, horseback riding, and visiting with her friends and relatives. Alex Gregor looms large as her beau and eventual husband. Besides her personal entries, it is an exceptional record of Eureka’s social life during the early 1870s and also mentions many old Eureka families, such as the Carsons, Cousins, Ryans, etc.

The diary and a full transcript are available at the HCHS research center. This excerpt has been edited for readability.

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Sept. 21, 1874

Tuesday at half past seven Sam (1) brought my horse up to me (Billy by name), then I rode down and joined Mr. and Mrs. McFarlan and Maria Carson. Then off we started for Freshwater to join the rest of our company. We got there at nine o’clock, then the rest joined us: Mr. H. Wilson (2), Mr. J. Baldwin and Mr. Thompson.

Then off we started again and rode seven miles uphill all the way [until] we reached Mrs. Nellis’s, a very beautiful place indeed. We remained there about half an hour [and] had some plums and pears so we felt very much rested. Then we mounted our horses again and rode four miles farther … [to] Mrs. Fitzgerald’s (3), where we stopped and cooked our dinner, which we all enjoyed very much.

At three o’clock we again mounted our horses and rode three miles farther, then we reached our destination. The men were busily engaged unpacking the house and making everything as comfortable for us as they possibly could. While they were engaged, Nellie and I built a large fire out of old fence rails and began to prepare supper.

After supper we all sat around the camp fire and sang songs till after ten o’clock. The moonlight was perfectly beautiful. I thought I never saw a full moon look so bright before.

At ten o’clock we retired to the barn, where we remained the rest of the night. Ellen (4) fell asleep as soon as she laid down, but Maria and I did not get to sleep until after one o’clock, the horses made so much noise.

We got up at four o’clock and prepared breakfast, then the men went out hunting. After we got our work done up, we took a walk up on a hill and gathered some acorns. Then we came back to the camp again and cooked dinner. At eleven o’clock the men came in from hunting and we had dinner, which consisted of stewed grouse, bread and butter, hard gingerbread, cheese, and tea. We all enjoyed it very much.

After dinner Mr. Thompson came to us and said that Skeff (5) had sent for his horse and he had to go and take it home. We understood how it was­­ ­— the men made up that story just to get rid of him because we did not want his company any longer. We took our blankets and made an awning to keep the [sun] off us, so we sat there the rest of the afternoon. We composed a piece of poetry as follows:

My friends and I camped all alone,
Out on the Bald Hills far from home,
Some killed grouse, some killed quail,
And we cooked them in old [Norcer?] pail.

If I had Davy and he was mine,
I’d dress him up and make him shine,
Send him on his homeward way,
Hoping to meet him another day.
Ha Ha Ha &c

As we were sleeping in the barn,
Secure we thought we were from harm,
Up jumped Davy Bub Bub Bub,
Up jumped Sam and gave him a rub.

So we were sitting on the hay,
Sam was full of fun and play,
He’d took something, I don’t know what to call it.
I don’t know but I think it was the Colic.

In the eve Mr. Wilson cooked a rabbit and a squirrel. We all had a taste of it but did not admire the taste very much—­it tasted rather wild.

At eleven o’clock we all retired to the barn and slept all night till five in the morning, then we got up. Mr. Wilson had breakfast all ready for us, which consisted of fried bacon, hot biscuit, tea, gingerbread, and canned meat.

After breakfast the men went out hunting again. They came in about ten o’clock with three or four grouse, half a dozen quail, and a large gray and white squirrel.

At half past two they packed the horses and we started for home. Got as far as Mr. Fitzgerald’s and had supper there and slept in their barn all night. Slept very good indeed as I was very tired.

We got up and got breakfast at six o’clock. It consisted of bread and butter and tea. It was not very much, for our state of provisions were nearly exhausted. At ten o’clock we left Mr. Fitzgerald’s for Mr. Nellis’s.

Arrived there at twelve, then we got off our horses and had dinner. I tell you, it tasted splendid – the first square meal we had had since we left home. I thought Ellen never would get through eating. But I hadn’t better say anything, for I did not eat a very small dinner myself.

At half past two we mounted our horses again and started for home. We rode eight miles, then we reached Jim Wilson’s house. Ellen and I went over to Mary’s, did not get off our horses, then we came back as far as Sandy Wilson’s (6) and had supper. Then we went back to Jim’s to join the rest. At seven we again started for home and got there at nine o’clock, all agreeing that our trip to the Bald Hills had been a very happy one.

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ENDNOTES:

1. Probably Sam McFarlan. His wife, Ellen, also went on the trip.

2. Probably Hugh Wilson, who was a Freshwater pioneer. He was a native of Charlotte County, New Brunswick and would have been about 34 at this time. (Obituary, Arcata Union, Thursday, 1 Feb 1923)

3. Perhaps Margaret Fitzgerald, who lived with her family at Kneelands Prairie. 1880 Census.

4. Ellen McFarlan, wife of Samuel W. McFarlan

5. Skeffington Carson. We don’t know what he did, but Kate apparently forgave him, because after her first husband died, she married him almost twenty years later.

6. Alexander Wilson’s obituary mentions his brother, James Wilson of Dows Prairie and his sister, Mrs. William Carson. They could be the Sandy and Jim Wilson named here. Humboldt Times, 4 August 1894

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The story above was originally printed in the Summer 2020 issue of The Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society, and 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.

Press release from the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services:

State officials announced today the award of $12,361,918 million in a unique partnership between Humboldt County Behavioral Health, Mad River Community Hospital, Cal Poly Humboldt and the City of Arcata.

The funding will be used to build a Behavioral Health Crisis Triage Center. 

Inspired by the Be Well OC campus facility in Orange County, and driven by the need for mental health crisis triage services in Humboldt County, the Humboldt County Behavioral Health Crisis Triage Center will include a sobering center, mental health care and crisis stabilization. The facility will serve all people and all ages, regardless of insurance, with stays ranging from less than 24 hours to 90 days. 

Mad River Community Hospital donated land to the project, while the county allocated funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, and a grant was received from the County Medical Services Program. Additional funding will be needed to complete the project.   

Mad River Community Hospital Chief Executive and Chief Nursing Officer David Neal said, “We are so excited to partner with the city, the county and the community to build a place where healing and hope begin. We’re proud that this project will benefit the community for decades to come.”

“Most importantly, the facility will offer the opportunity for individuals and families in crisis to receive prompt care in an environment built for privacy, healing and dignity,” said Humboldt County Behavioral Health Director Emi Botzler-Rodgers.

Connie Stewart, Director of Initiatives for Cal Poly Humboldt, said, “I would like to thank the County of Humboldt Board and staff and Mad River Community Hospital for coming up with a comprehensive, integrated project to help families in our community that are in crisis. This is just the beginning and there will be lots of opportunities for the community to engage as we work to make this vision become a reality.” 

Arcata City Manager Karen Diemer noted that the community has been asking for a facility like this for a very long time. “The City of Arcata is so proud to be a part of the solution,” she said.  

DHHS Director Connie Beck said she was grateful to the state and to local representatives State Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Jim Wood. “This is a big deal for Humboldt. We’re so grateful to our Board and our partners for the hard work that has gone into this. This project will mean so much to our community,” she said. 

The team aims to open the Behavioral Health Crisis Triage Center at the end of 2026.

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PREVIOUSLY: YESTERDAY in SUPES: Board Approves Letter of Support for Behavioral Health Triage Center Grant Application, Condemns Recent ‘Hate Events’ in Humboldt, and So Much More!

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Press release from Food for People:

There are big transitions happening at Food for People with the completion of the new building and the upcoming retirement of longtime Executive Director Anne Holcomb and the hiring of Carly Robbins as the new ED!
 
Anne’s role as the Executive Director began in April of 2001 after moving from Maine to Humboldt to be closer to her adult children and expanding brood of grandchildren. She quickly decided to focus on creating the kind of community she wanted her grandkids to grow up in; one that ensures everyone has the food they need to grow, learn, and work with dignity.
 
That led to a 22-year career at Food for People and has included lots of listening and learning to help guide the organization’s efforts to develop creative programs and partnerships that best meet the needs of our diverse community. These have included programs like the Backpacks for Kids weekend hunger relief program; mobile pantry services that reach the far corners of our rural county; free produce markets that help people incorporate foods that support good health; an expanded network of food pantries for a more localized response; increased CalFresh outreach to provide households broader access to additional resources for food; and the ability to respond to natural disasters as quickly as possible.
 
“I would like to thank the staff and volunteers and the hundreds of partners both locally and statewide who have shared their resources, compassion and grace over the years in support of our friends and neighbors” says Holcomb.  “I have found such incredible inspiration from meeting so many people who have shared their stories of how Food for People helped them at a critical time, and how happy they are to be in a position to ‘pay it forward’ as volunteers and donors. This is the spirit that will keep Food for People strong and resilient into the future.”
 
After a comprehensive search by the Board of Directors, Carly Robbins has been hired to serve as the next Executive Director of the Food Bank.  Carly is not a stranger to the organization (nor the community, graduating from Eureka High!), serving as the Development Director for the past eight years. She has managed the fundraising and marketing efforts, while also spearheading the Capital Campaign for the new warehouse building that has grown way beyond the initial goals. 
 
“As I quickly learned, when I started eight years ago, even among other food banks, Food for People is unique, and I would say, exceptional. Many food banks function solely on a bulk level – collecting, inventorying, and storing food to be distributed to partner agencies. The direct distribution of food is typically done by others, but Food for People does it all. We do the typical food banking, providing food to our network of hard-working food pantries and partners, and we also provide direct service with our staff offering one-on-one connections with people, listening to their stories and offering a warm smile with dignity and respect.” 
 
Over the last several years the economic challenges caused by the pandemic, supply chain issues, and rising inflation have caused record numbers of people to seek Food for People’s services. The organization has grown, expanded, and weathered these unique challenges. And the food bank is now entering another stage as they work to address this continuing rise in food insecurity while also settling into a brand-new facility. Please stop by Food for People’s new location at 307 W 14th Street on Sunday, June 25th between 1 PM to 5 PM as they open their doors for public tours of the new warehouse facility.

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Ten months after a an inflammatory Planning Commission hearing regarding permits for Travis Schneider’s dream home, the Planning Commission is set to meet again — this time, to remove permission for construction of the 8,000-square-foot home that was supposed to be built there.

To briefly recap the controversy the unfolded from that August 2022 meeting, Schneider, a local developer and owner of Eureka-based civil engineering firm Pacific Affiliates, found himself in hot water after violating multiple terms of a Coastal Development Permit for a massive house on Walker Point Road, north of Eureka. 

County planning staff issued a stop-work order in December 2021 after learning that Schneider had:

• constructed an un-permitted access road through environmentally sensitive habitat,
• used a CAT 310 excavator to clear blackberry brambles and other foliage from the property, potentially damaging tribal cultural resources, and
• misaligned the home’s footprint, causing it to be within 100 feet of a designated wetland.

Subsequent investigations revealed more problems: The home Schneider had partially built was more than two and a half times larger than the permit allowed, measuring a whopping 20,817 feet. He had also started construction without a building permit and failed to get a required septic permit for the development. 

A related controversy erupted over former Planning Commissioner Alan Bongio’s racist comments at that August hearing, comments for which he later sort of apologized, though he was still censured by the Board of Supervisors, who requested that he step down from his position as chair. Bongio resigned in December.

Schneider attempted to finesse his way through the controversy despite conflicts with local tribes, warnings from the California Coastal Commission and increased public scrutiny over the entire permitting process.

Finally, in a twist first reported by Thadeus Greenson of the North Coast Journal, Schneider agreed through his attorney to tear down his partially built home as he faced fines of $40,000 per day for the assorted permit violations he’d accumulated.

He also agreed to remove the 15,000 cubic yards of fill soil he’d hauled onto the property, an amount nearly 10 times what was allowed under his coastal development permit. And he agreed to mitigate any impacts to environmentally sensitive habitat areas and wetland habitats onsite and to construct a fence to protect the archeological site on the property.

At the upcoming July 6 meeting, the Humboldt County Planning Commission will consider modifying Schneider’s Coastal Development Permit to facilitate these actions. According to a public notice issued last week, the permit modifications would remove an entitlement to build an 8,000-square-foot home, plus an attached 1,000 square foot cellar and a four car garage.

It would also remove permission for 1,500 cubic yards of grading and grant permission to tear down and remove the 21,000 square foot structure that’s still partially built on the property.

Attempts to reach Schneider by phone and email were not returned.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Heated Meeting Sparks Accusations of Dishonesty and Discrimination, Opening Rift Between Tribes and Humboldt County Planning Commission
• Despite Silence From Tribes, Mega-Home Builder Optimistic Ahead of Tonight’s Continued Planning Commission Hearing to Address Permit Violation Fallout
• After Rebukes and Apologies for Bongio’s ‘Disrespectful’ Comments, Planning Commission Defers Decision on Mega-Home Permits
• County Supes to Consider Censure of Planning Commission Chair Alan Bongio for Inappropriate Conduct
• Bohn Makes the Motion, Supes Unanimously Censure Bongio for Racist Remarks, Move to Remove Him as Chair of Planning Commission
• A Tour Through the Half-Built Dream Mansion of Travis Schneider, Who Remains Hopeful Amid Mounting Permit Problems
• Alan Bongio, Embattled Humboldt County Planning Commissioner, Resigns

ELSEWHERE:

• Developer Agrees to Tear Down Controversial Home, Faces Daily $40K Fines (NCJ)

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Press release from the City of Arcata:

The City of Arcata Transportation Division is excited to announce that the Arcata and Mad River Transit System (A&MRTS) free bus rides have been extended through July!

The City encourages Arcata residents and visitors to take the bus to run errands and to explore Arcata’s neighborhoods, businesses, parks and recreational spaces. The goal of this program is to increase ridership for A&MRTS by showing how easy it is to use the transit system. A summer month was selected for this program as historically the ridership is low in summer months because schools, including Cal Poly Humboldt, are not in session. Last year, there was an approximately 10% increase in ridership during the implementation of this program in June and July of financial year (FY) 21-22 compared to FY 20-21. The division is excited about increasing that percentage in FY 22-23. Funding to support this program comes from the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP).

Free bus rides in Arcata began on June 1 and have now been extended through Monday, July 31 with A&MRTS offering transit routes that run Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the summer months.

For more information regarding bus routes and schedules, visit hta.org/agencies/arcata-and-mad-river/ or call (707) 822-3775.

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In just the second year of the California State Fair’s annual cannabis competition, growers from Humboldt County nabbed a total of 18 awards, including three of the 11 Golden Bear trophies bestowed on the overall winners, aka the “Best of California.”

MOCA Humboldt, a Eureka-based micro-business that includes an indoor cultivation operation, commercial kitchen, distribution facilities and a dispensary, took home two Golden Bears for the second year in a row.

“It’s exciting,” said MOCA CEO Matt Engel. “This is a really cool competition because most competitions are based on judges’ experiences. … This one is specifically based on lab results, so it’s objective judging.”

The science-based contest includes awards in three divisions — indoor, outdoor and mixed light — and 11 categories per division, based on measured levels of various compounds: cannabinoids, individual terpenes and total terpene content. (You can read about what those are, and the difference between them, here. Engel offered this analogy: “If cannabinoids are the volume on your stereo, terpenes are kind of like the EQ.”)

MOCA’s Golden Bear trophies were awarded for the level of CBGa in their strain “Grape Cookies” and for the level of Limonene in their strain “Caffeine.” In total, MOCA walked away with four golds and three silvers.

Engel said these awards are different from other judged competitions such as the Emerald Cup not only because of the lab-testing-based criteria but also because of the reach and reputation of the California State Fair.

“It’s a different perspective, but it’s really cool because this is shared with the world and you get a much wider reach by putting [cannabis] next to wine and cheese and other craft things,” he said. “It’s very cool.” 

The other Humboldt County cultivator to land a Golden Bear was Talking Trees Farms, for the amount of Caryophyllene (a “spicy” terpene) in their outdoor strain “Rainbow Beltz.” The business also landed a gold medal for the level of Myrcene (a terpene also found in hops and lemongrass) in their mixed-light strain “Macalato.”

“We’re pretty stoked,” said Talking Trees Founder and CEO Craig Nejedly, who also highlighted the unique judging criteria of this contest.

“We just looked at what we had the highest terpenes in,” he said regarding the company’s decision to enter. “It was somewhat a gamble, but we knew we had a chance.”

Last year, Talking Trees took home one gold medal and three silvers, and Nejedly said he was excited to land two golds, including a Golden Bear, this year, though he noted that the influence of awards has diminished some in recent years.

“Like with the Emerald Cup, five years ago there was a lot more hoopla. It seems like awards are not as impactful [anymore].” But he was grateful that the State Fair focuses on terpenes rather than potency, or THC content, which has become a driver in the market. Connoisseurs, though, know the value of terpenes, he said.

Both Nejedly and Engel said they’ve had to make adjustments to stay afloat during the dramatic downturn in the cannabis industry over the past couple of years. Engel opened MOCA’s Eureka dispensary last year, and his operation includes production of bubble hash. Nejedly said he has adjusted to the market by slimming down operations and trying to be more strategic.

Several other Humboldt County growers landed awards as well:

• SoHum’s Organic Medicinals took home a gold medal for the level of co-dominant terpene (MCL) in their outdoor strain “Jelmints.”
• Savage Farms (Ettersburg) landed a silver in the same category for its strain “Slurty 3.”
• Northern Emeralds (Arcata) took silver for the level of terpinolene in their indoor strain “Durban Poison” and another silver for the amount of limonene in their mixed-light strain “Legendary OMG.”
• True Mom & Pop (Bridgeville) won silver for the level of co-dominant terpene (MCL) in mixed-light strain “Banana Pancakes.”

Click here for a full list of winners.

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PREVIOUSLY: Ground Has Been Broken on Klamath River Restoration, the World’s Largest-Ever Dam-Removal Project

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Press release from the Klamath River Renewal Corporation:

The deconstruction of Copco No. 2, the smallest of the four hydroelectric dams being removed from the Klamath River, is underway. This week, crews removed the gates, walkway, and two of the five bays down to the spillway. This work was done to direct waters around the dam, rather than over it, allowing construction crews to do work through the summer months. 

“While this is just the first step, it certainly is an exciting moment,” said Mark Bransom, CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC). “Crews are making fast progress in these early stages of the project, and we are on track with our removal timeline.” 

Crews placed around 10 feet of rock on either side of the dam in order to reach the gates and bays for deconstruction. Much of the Copco No. 2 infrastructure remains in place below this rock surface. Deconstruction of this dam will continue through the summer, with final decommissioning and complete removal occurring sometime in September. 

“We are pleased that we were able to make so much progress this week,” noted Dan Petersen, Kiewit’s Project Manager overseeing the removal of Copco No. 2 “But removing Copco No. 2 is still not a done deal. We expect to officially wrap up this phase of the dam removal project sometime in September.” 

The other three dams, Iron Gate, Copco No. 1, and JC Boyle are expected to be removed next year, beginning with the drawdown of the reservoirs in January of 2024. Their incremental deconstruction will continue throughout the year, with construction activities expected to conclude sometime in late 2024.