Past and current issues of the Humboldt Historian are available through our bookstore in Eureka. Current Issues are also available locally at Northtown Books and Wildberries Marketplace in Arcata.
Winter 2025
On the Cover
Winter is a turbulent time for Humboldt County. Our unique climate means we often get a lot more water than we bargained for. This was the case in December 1964, when a cold front dropped several feet of snow on the Sierras and other Northern California mountains. Shortly after, a warm storm moved in from the south, deluging the area with over thirty inches of rain in a week. This coincided with the highest ocean tide of the year, meaning that the sudden snowmelt and torrents of rainwater could not drain out to sea. As river waters began rising, many residents were evacuated from along the Eel and the Klamath River basin. Livestock and farmland were lost, and communication lines destroyed.
Many smaller communities were completely wiped out. The South Fork of the Eel River crested at forty-six feet. On the cover of this issue is a January 1965 photo of central Weott, one of the hardest-hit towns. Mud and silt coated every street. Bulldozers were employed to level the wreckage, and most of the town was then rebuilt on higher ground. The presence of this destroyed Greyhound station is a reminder of the town’s significance as a popular stop on the Redwood Highway, and of how many areas never really economically recovered from the destruction.
We at HCHS are dedicated to preserving this important local history and offer many resources for flood researchers. In this issue, you will find several unique perspectives from the dark days of the 1964 flood, which highlight our rural communities’ ability to pull together and survive.
