February 6, 1960 - Ethel Nelson died in a Oakland nursing home after a long illness. Born in Mendocino in 1883, she was the daughter of Elizabeth May (Bessie) Carlson and Captain Henry Nelson. Ethel’s grandfather was John Carlson, who arrived in Mendocino in 1852 on the brig Ontario which brought the first sawmill machinery to Mendocino. Bessie Carlson Nelson (center) with her children, Henry [...]
February 4, 1984 - Amati’s Shoe Boutique closed its doors for the last time after operating for more than six years on Main Street. The Main Street Courtyard Buildings, 1977-1984. Buildings on Albion Street in Mendocino at the north end of the Main Street Courtyard. The sign in the yard reads, "Amati's Mendocino." Amati's Shoe Store occupied the lower floor of the building on the [...]
Until the 1870s, the Mendocino coast was isolated except for the schooners that sailed between San Francisco and Eureka. Travel inland was on foot or by horseback over narrow ridge trails worn by the local native peoples. During the 1860s, roads began to be built between Mendocino and Ukiah and Mendocino and Cloverdale. According to Elsa E. Thompson’s 1973 Early Settlers of Comptche Along Its Many [...]
January 31, 1941 - Robert Sutherland graduated from the California School of Mechanical Arts in San Francisco. This school offered a technical junior college course that bestowed an Associate of Arts upon graduation. Robert, a 1938 Mendocino High School graduate, majored in Machine Shop Practice and served an apprenticeship with the Pacific Can Company of San Francisco. The company had recently hired him as an employee, [...]
January 29, 1966 - The Maxwell-Jarvis House on Little Lake Street was heavily damaged by fire. Local builder Albert Maxwell constructed this home for his daughter Ardelle and her husband Henry Jarvis, a Mendocino merchant, shortly after their marriage in 1878. Henry and Ardelle had two daughters, Mabel and Grace, who were born and raised in this house. William G. “Biff” and Marillyn Buckaloo purchased the [...]
The inside of the lighthouse was a mess after the big wave washed through it. A few days into this new year, a little after 8:00 am on January 5th, a large wave scaled the 50-foot bluff in front of the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse, broke down the double front doors, and flowed through the main room all the way to the back door. It [...]
On this day in Mendocino history… January 24, 1890 - The Mendocino Lumber Company mill began operating again after a two-month closure. The mill had been in violation of a new state law prohibiting the dumping of sawdust into rivers, as the pollution was killing fish. Sawmills had historically disposed of their waste by dumping it into the nearest stream. According to “Big River was Dammed” [...]
January 21, 1895 - Gladys Chambers was born in Albion, the daughter of John and Adaline Chambers. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Mendocino, where John worked as a blacksmith. After graduating from Mendocino High School, Gladys worked in the office of the Mendocino Lumber Company, where she “became well known and liked by the many employees who came to receive their pay checks.” [...]
Part 3 of our “dark and stormy night” series, this article continues the story from last week’s column and first appeared in the Mendocino Beacon on December 6, 2007 When we left the storm-battered little steamer Pomo, she and her rescue boat, Adeline Smith, were waiting to cross the treacherous seas at the bar to San Francisco Bay on the night of January 2, 1914 [the [...]
January 16, 1968 - The Tuesday Evening Bridge Club celebrated its 39th anniversary at the home of Kate Anderson on Pine Street. Kate, who was 85 years old, was assisted in her hostess duties by her daughter, Lucille Freathy. North elevation of the Packard-Johnson House on Pine Street looking southeast. Master carpenter J. D. Johnson began building this house in March 1891 for the Justin [...]