California Coast #2 - I Have Found It in Eureka!

A long but delightful drive up the California coast to the beautiful bay city of Eureka was both educational and relaxing! The fascinating history of the area goes way back beyond the Gold Rush years.

2021-07-15 · Charlie Samra ·

California Coast #2 - I Have Found It in Eureka!

I've wanted to go to Eureka for a long time.  Why?  First of all, if you look at it on the map, you can see it has a very interesting coastline, with an expansive bay.  I thought the bay and ocean views might be spectacular. 

Eureka coastline has plenty of hiking trails and places to wander.
Eureka coastline has plenty of hiking trails and places to wander.

Secondly, Eureka has a multifaceted history.  The word "eureka" was first uttered by Archimedes over two thousand years ago after he had stepped into a bath and noticed that the water level rose.  It translates from the Greek to "I have found it", or "I have it."  When the gold rush settlers arrived in the 1850s, they aptly named the town they established Eureka.  

There is a dark side of Eureka's history.  Eureka was originally populated by the Wiyot people, a Native American tribe that has lived in the Humboldt Bay region for thousands of years.  As gold rushers arrived, a conflict ensued, and that conflict was not resolved peacefully.  In 1860 the majority of the Wiyot tribe were tragically murdered by local businessmen in what became known as the “Wiyot Massacre.”

This abominable fact is revealed in an exhibit at the Clarke Historical Museum, one of our first stops after driving up from Fort Bragg.  Much of the museum is devoted to local indigenous tribes and their craft.  The museum is located inside the former Eureka Bank Building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Erected in 1911, the bank was built with a neoclassical design that is the only one of its kind north of San Francisco.

Clarke Historical Museum main viewing area
Clarke Historical Museum main viewing area
Clarke Historical Museum recreated room from the old days - one of many...
Clarke Historical Museum recreated room from the old days - one of many...

But I digress.  So we drove up from Fort Bragg, which was a two-hour ride. On the way, we drove through the Avenue of the Giants, which is a 30-mile stretch of road that weaves through dense redwood groves in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Some of the tallest redwoods in California are here.

We eventually made it to Eureka, and stayed for two nights at the Holiday Inn, which was a newish hotel so we liked it a lot.  Except for the screaming kids in the room next to ours, our stay was pleasant.

And it has a beach of sorts too.
And it has a beach of sorts too.

When you drive around Eureka you will definitely notice the varied homes and buildings, some built as early as 1850.  Eureka is home to a myriad of architectural styles and eclectic variations – bungalows, cottages, Craftsman-style homes, and Victorians – many built from original redwood timber sourced locally.  The most notable homes are located in Old Town, which is towards the north side of Eureka.  There you will find the William Carson Mansion, which is a fabulous example of a Queen Anne Victorian.  Today this structure is a private members club, so we could not see the inside.  Right across the street is another famous home, known as the Pink Lady, which is a smallish Queen Anne Victorian in a muted pink color.

Old Town was indeed the most interesting neighborhood of Eureka, so we spent most of our time there.  In fact, we had most of our meals there.  For our first dinner we took out sushi from a local Japanese restaurant that was highly rated on Yelp.  To be kind, it was lacking.  Lunch the next day at Jack's Seafood was much better.  Jack's is right on the edge of the bay.  Later, we went out to a nice dinner at the Sea Grill.  The oysters and fish dinner was scrumptious. 

Old Town district of Eureka - best place to wander about.
Old Town district of Eureka - best place to wander about.

Outside of Old Town, my wife insisted that we go to Sequoia Park.  She had read that there is a very large, old redwood tree there that is famous, we should go check it out.  The park turned out to be beautiful, with a forest of redwoods, streams, and a pond in the center.  It also had one of the more unique features we had ever seen in a park. 

Above us in the trees, a walkway was constructed that allowed people to walk "among the treetops."  It was very cool to look up and see the people on the walkway looking down at the forest floor, so we decided we wanted to do it too.  The catch was that we had to buy a ticket to the adjoining zoo in order to go on the walkway.  So, after waiting in line for around 45 minutes, we finally got into the zoo, and went directly for the walkway entrance.  I will say that it was worth the wait.  Very large redwood trees were connected by the walkway, so you could walk between tree clusters and take pictures of the park below.  Very cool.

Tree top walkways in Sequoia Park
Tree top walkways in Sequoia Park
Walkway in the trees!
Walkway in the trees!
Me and the tree
Me and the tree
The famous quote from the novel Valley of the Giants.
The famous quote from the novel Valley of the Giants.

So, those were the high points of our California Coast driving adventure.  I hope you enjoyed it, and will consider visiting Northern California soon.

位置

単語

フラッシュカードドリル
multifaceted 多面(ためん)(てき)
  1. It’s yet another of the unexpected and multifaceted ways in which the pandemic is turning the world upside down.
    それはさらに、パンデミックが世界(せかい)をひっくり(かえ)している、予想(よそう)(がい)でありまた多面(ためん)(てき)状態(じょうたい)(ひと)つです。
indigenous 土着(どちゃく)
  1. The Ainu are an East Asian ethnic group indigenous to Northern Japan, the original inhabitants of Hokkaido.
    アイヌは、日本(にっぽん)北部(ほくぶ)(ひがし)アジア土着(どちゃく)民族(みんぞく)であり北海道(ほっかいどう)原住民(げんじゅうみん)です。
abominable ()まわしい
  1. The prisoners are forced to live in abominable conditions.
    囚人(しゅうじん)たちは()まわしい状況(じょうきょう)()きることを余儀(よぎ)なくされています。
neoclassical (しん)古典(こてん)主義(しゅぎ)
  1. The newly built neoclassical office building in Rome appeared in many architecture magazines.
    ローマに(あたら)しく()てられた(しん)古典(こてん)主義(しゅぎ)のオフィスビルは、(おお)くの建築(けんちく)雑誌(ざっし)掲載(けいさい)されました。
digress (はなし)()らす
  1. But I digress. Let me get back to what I initially wanted to tell you.
    しかし、(わたし)(はなし)()らせたいです。(わたし)最初(さいしょ)にあなたに(つた)えたかったことに(もど)りましょう。
myriad 無数(むすう)
  1. Charles, you are going to college, and so you have a myriad of opportunities ahead of you.
    チャールズ、あなたは大学(だいがく)()くので、あなたの(まえ)には無数(むすう)機会(きかい)があります。
eclectic 折衷(せっちゅう)(てき)
  1. Their home is furnished in a rather eclectic fashion, with more classical furniture mixed with more modern designs.
    (かれ)らの(いえ)はかなり折衷(せっちゅう)(てき)方法(ほうほう)装飾(そうしょく)されており、より古典(こてん)(てき)家具(かぐ)とより現代(げんだい)(てき)なデザインが()()わされています。
muted (しず)かな
  1. The muted tones of the home's interior walls conveyed a classical feel, and worked well with the furniture.
    (いえ)内壁(ないへき)(しず)かな()()いた色調(しきちょう)は、クラシカルな雰囲気(ふんいき)(つた)え、家具(かぐ)とうまく調和(ちょうわ)しました。

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