November 14, 1910 - Rose Valador was born in Mendocino, daughter of Domingo and Marian (Thomas) Valador. She was the second of six children and their eldest daughter. Rose and her siblings grew up in the historic Valador House, situated on the southeast corner of Ukiah and Rundle Streets. Black and white photograph of Domingo and Marian Valador with their six children. They are standing [...]
Senior portrait of Charles Tannlund, Class of 1918, Mendocino High School. (Gift of Jeanette Mendosa Hansen) November 12, 1918 - A number of young men returned to the Mendocino Coast, just days after being called up to serve their country during World War I. The armistice ending the war had been signed just the day before, and their military service was abruptly cancelled. Two [...]
November 7, 1963 - Mendocino resident Jim O’Donnell, 74, thwarted a trio of scam artists who tried to take advantage of him. About 2pm that afternoon, a station wagon pulled up at Jim’s home on the northwest corner of Williams and Covelo Streets. A man approached Jim's door with a story – he claimed to be a stove repairman from Sacramento who regularly made trips to [...]
November 4, 1961 - The fifth Big River Bridge officially opened with a dedication ceremony. The bridge had already been in use for two weeks so that workmen could begin demolishing the old bridge which had been in service since 1924. Unlike previous Big River bridges, the new bridge was elevated with a 47-foot clearance above the water, while the approaches to the earlier bridges were [...]
Hazel Nimela by the water tank in Caspar, c. 1920. (Gift of Mae Johnson) October 29, 1899 - Hazel May Helm was born in Caspar to Thomas and Ella (Kuhn) Helm. Hazel’s mother was also a native of Caspar and lived her entire life there. Tragically, Hazel’s father, a brakeman on the Caspar logging train, was killed a month before Hazel’s first birthday while [...]
These two images, taken about 143 years apart, show the south side of the Kelley House on Albion Street in Mendocino, and provide a glimpse into the past and present of this historic landmark. South Side of the Kelley House, c. 1880. (Gift of Margaret Kelley Campbell) South Side of the Kelley House, 2023. (Photographer: Robert Dominy) The first image, taken [...]
Graduation photograph of Raymond Nicholson, Class of 1941. (Gift of Linda Mechling) October 20, 1942 - Raymond Nicholson joined the U. S. Navy during World War II. Born in Mendocino in 1923 to Alfred and Anna Ellison Nicholson, Ray grew up in the Daniels-Nicholson House (today’s Nicholson House at Beaujolais) near the east end of Ukiah Street. He attended the local schools, where he [...]
Cammie King Conlon served as the first executive director of Kelley House Museum when she moved to Northern California in 1980. She worked closely with the museum's founders, Beth Stebbins and Dorothy Bear, and tells stories of early days at Kelley House and 30 years of changes on the coast. Event occurred on 28 June 2009. Filmed by Julia Larke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96H_I03uKKo New Exhibit! Celebrate the 50th [...]
October 15, 2003 - A dying Monterey Cypress tree on the Kelley House lawn was cut down. "We are very sad about it coming down, but we can't afford to endanger anyone,” local historian and long time resident Dee Lemos said. Rich and Jack Lemos estimated the tree to be 100 to 125 feet tall, making it the third-largest cypress on the Mendocino Coast. Although there’s [...]
Daisy Kelley MacCallum’s cake recipe, sent to Beth Stebbins and Dorothy Bear in 1979 by Drex Kelley, grandson of Daisy’s brother Otis. The handwriting belongs to either Daisy or Drex’s mother Susan McDonald Kelley (wife of Otis’ oldest son Lloyd) New Exhibit! Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mendocino Historical Research Inc., now known as the Kelley House Museum. Meet founders Dorothy Bear and Beth [...]