Winning Seasons
Deborah Meador
A scrapbook reveals the triumphs of a remarkable women’s softball team.
Rhonerville: “The Busiest Little Town in the County”
Jerry Rohde
A history of old Rohnerville, from its brave beginnings to its final conflagration.
The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District After Fifty Years
Jerry Colivas
Looking at the Water District as it has confronted the challenges of providing an adequate and safe water supply since its formation in 1956.
The Pioneer Perrott Family
John Perrott
Part two of the Perrott Family saga highlights the lives and contributions of William Perrott, who settled the family's Table Bluff Ranch in 1865, and his descendants.
The Ballad of the Fortuna Fruit Cannery
Suzanne Forsyth
Uncovering clues to a small village industry in 1892.
“We humans look to stories to shape our earthly experiences; the more we know about the events of the past, the richer our story becomes. The Historian presents a record of such knowledge, which is one of many reasons I am thrilled and honored to become its editor. Formerly the Society’s Bookstore and Membership Manager, I am now eager to shepherd the production of a journal that will be worthy of its many devoted readers. Personal stories illuminate the past for us in a remarkable way, not least because of the connections forged across time, and between people who may never meet in the everyday world. One day, in my work as Membership Manager, I was the fortunate recipient of a letter penned on the back of a renewal form by member Jeanne Knudsen Brown. At that time I had just begun writing the Society’s monthly Times-Standard articles on local history, with two seemingly divergent topics: early bicycling and early medical treatments. In an instance of serendipity - such moments always seem like Providence peeking through-Jeanne’s letter contained the name of an uncle of hers, Oscar Knudsen, whom I recognized as being the proprietor of a Eureka bicycle shop in 1912, and also told of her own experience being quarantined in Eureka during a polio epidemic in 1927. I telephoned Jeanne at her Southern California home, sensing I would not be amiss in doing so, and she generously shared her memories with me. Our conversation was such a joy and inspiration to both of us: “You’ve made my day,’’ Jeanne said, and I felt exactly the same way. Jeanne’s story will appear in an upcoming Historian. Part of the great value of the Historical Society is that it helps us see today’s events, and our own lives, as another chapter in the big story that began so many years ago. ”