On this day in Mendocino history…

Banker’s Row, 1894-1905. This block of elegant houses on Little Lake Street in Mendocino was known as “Banker’s Row.” From left to right: C. O. Packard House, Henry Jarvis House, Albert Brown House, and the Elisha Blair House. Each has a tall water tower with a windmill. The first Mendocino High School, built in 1894, sits on the hill behind them. Heeser’s Field is in the foreground. (Kelley House Collection, Kelley House Photographs)

June 28, 1915 – The firehouse bell rang at 8 o’clock in the morning due to a fire on the roof of the Henry H. Jarvis house on Little Lake Street. Sparks from the chimney had ignited the roof shingles. Local citizens turned out in large numbers, and the fire company volunteers were quick in getting to the fire engine house on Main Street and hauling out the fire apparatus. Mrs. Jarvis and Miss Laura Salminen, who was visiting the Jarvis home from Comptche, assisted in quickly extinguishing the fire.

This was the second Mendocino fire that week. Two days before, a grass fire had erupted on a lot between the Occidental Hotel and the Fort Bragg Garage & Machine Shop at the eastern end of Main Street, endangering both buildings. Chemical fire extinguishers, recently purchased by the Fire Commissioners, quenched that fire before any serious damage was done.

The Mendocino Beacon observed, “Such experiences will prove of undoubted value when a really serious fire does occur.”

Walking Tours of Historic Mendocino – Join our expert docents for a stroll and lively commentary. You’ll pass by early pioneer homes, historic meeting places, and buildings that make up the the Mendocino Historic District. https://tinyurl.com/KHMAirbnb