Before the completion of the transcontinental railroad, there was the Chico and Humboldt Wagon Road, meant to connect California with the burgeoning mining industries of Nevada and Idaho. The ambitious plan to make Chico a major Northern California transportation hub was spearheaded by John Bidwell and began in earnest in 1864. The road opened new areas to mining and logging and provided opportunities for less scrupulous characters. Stagecoach robberies, murders and shootouts were just some of the misfortunes that occurred on the road, along with the dangers nature provided--snowstorms, perilous terrain and grizzly bears. Author Andy Mark...

Founded in 1858 as the town of Union, the city of Arcata is the cultural capital of Humboldt County. Historically known for its logging, fishing and dairy traditions, modern-day Arcata has evolved into a place where the artistic, the politically and environmentally active and those looking for a university education come to give full flower to their energies. The town boasts the municipally owned, sustainably managed Arcata Community Forest, the innovative and famed Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, Humboldt State University, an annual Kinetic Sculpture Race, more than two dozen parks and a vivid political scene. The town square,...

Humboldt County was at the forefront of the massive redwood logging industry. The impressive size of the trees necessitated drastic technological advances. Many innovations were invented by Humboldt mill owners like John Dolbeer, whose steam donkey engine mechanized and revolutionized logging all along the West Coast. In 1896, there were 13 mills devoted to sawing redwood lumber and 26 mills making redwood shingles operating in Humboldt County. Other related industries, such as shipbuilding, boiler works, tanbark, and split products, further shaped the economic vitality of the county. Most of these industries no longer exist, and the...