To a casual visitor, the coastal town of Mendocino, California, might seem timeless. However, much of its rich past has been meticulously preserved and documented, thanks in no small part to the efforts of author and historian Bruce Levene. Through his books, oral history projects, and multimedia presentations, Levene ensured that the vibrant stories of Mendocino and its people would not be lost to time. At the [...]
“The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!” was filmed on the Mendocino Coast in 1965. As part of the 60th anniversary of this classic cold war comedy, we asked folks who were part of the production to share their stories. Here’s what we learned. Jone Lemos I was 10 years old when I had my acting debut as an extra in TRAC. I was there [...]
On March 4, 1933, the United States banking system collapsed. Citizens could not retrieve their deposits and the panic that ensued affected everyone. Large banks reopened first, while some smaller banks like those on the Mendocino Coast never reopened. Many jobs were lost in the coastal lumber industry, and the Study Club felt the impact from both these events as many families left the area in [...]
Dr. Homer H. Wolfe was born on January 10, 1884, in Lathrop, California, the youngest of five children of a Brethren minister. He studied at Cooper Medical College and received his M.D. in 1909. Early in his career he worked briefly at San Francisco City Hospital before spending a season in Alaska as a physician for a large fish-canning company. After returning to San Francisco, he [...]
When the Baltimore clipper Frolic wrecked on the Mendocino Coast in 1850 while returning from China with a cargo of porcelain and silk bound for booming Gold Rush San Francisco, it came to rest in a cove north of today’s Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. As the crew abandoned ship, they gathered what provisions they could. Six sailors refused to leave the rigging and were left behind, while [...]
It was common years ago to report to the local newspaper if you had managed to grow the “biggest” of anything. From historian Nannie Escola’s newspaper clippings, we found attention directed to the “biggest” things around Mendocino. Vegetable and fruit display at Apple Hall, 1912. In November 1878, E.C. Toushes of Navarro brought in three cabbages weighing 22, 25, and 26 ¾ pounds to [...]
Elsie Allen, 1972. Born in 1899 near Santa Rosa, Elsie Allen was a fourth-generation basket weaver taught by her mother and grandmother. Elsie’s mother, Annie Burke, was a renowned weaver, and together they would travel to art fairs to show baskets. Tradition dictated that a weaver’s baskets be buried with her or a relative whenever she died. When Elsie’s grandmother passed, Elsie lost many [...]
Jane Ralston Ross is remembered as one of the Mendocino Coast’s most remarkable pioneer women, a source of strength, compassion, and Christian devotion. She was born in Glengarry, Ontario, Canada, on January 29, 1837, to Scottish parents, and shared with her husband, Rev. John Simpson Ross, a deep sense of faith and service. The couple married in 1863, and their first three children were born in [...]
The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming is turning 60! This beloved comedy was filmed almost entirely on the coast, including Mendocino, Noyo, Cleone, and Westport. Mendocino so closely resembles an east coast village that it was the backdrop for the movie village of Gloucester Island, Massachusetts. The film depicts the aftermath of a Soviet submarine running aground off the small New England island, and [...]
Syd Newman, Lena Meshishnek and Faye Lang at the Keene Summit AWS in Comptche, circa 1943. The Aircraft Warning Service (AWS) was a civilian service of the United States Army Air Force Ground Observer Corps begun during World War II to keep watch for enemy planes entering United States airspace. The Kelley House Museum has a few photographs and one archival item to help [...]