Early Settlement

THE SPANISH WERE THE FIRST EUROPEANS TO EXPLORE THE HUMBOLDT COAST, BUT THEY NEVER SETTLED HERE. Around 1580, they named Cape Mendocino, after the Viceroy of New Spain. On the Feast of the Trinity in 1775, two Spanish ships anchored in a bay they named Trinidad. They took on fresh water, traded with Yurok Indians and erected a large wooden cross on Trinidad Head. In the years following, Russian and American fur traders visited the coast. Humboldt Bay, entered briefly by Russians in 1804, was generally overlooked because the sand bar off the entrance and the high bluff beyond gave the appearance of unbroken dunes and surf.

IN 1848, DISCOVERY OF GOLD IN THE TRINITY MOUNTAINS CHANGED HISTORY. The difficulty of reaching the gold fields from the Sacramento Valley prompted a party of explorers, led by Josiah Gregg to look westward for a route to the coast. After a long difficult trip, a quarrel on a riverbank led to naming the Mad River. On Dec. 20, 1849, the Gregg party re-discovered Humboldt Bay and made friendly contact with local Wiyot Indians.

MERCHANTS AND GOLD SEEKERS IN SAN FRANCISCO WERE ALSO INTERESTED IN COASTAL ACCESS TO THE GOLD FIELDS. Several expeditions set out, and on April 9, 1850, sailors from the Laura Virginia were the first to enter the Bay. They named it after the renowned German scientist Alexander von Humboldt. During that spring, a number of towns were founded as supply centers to the gold fields including Union (Arcata), Trinidad, and Eureka (the Greek for "I found it").

THE INFLUX OF GOLD SEEKERS AND SETTLERS LED TO CONFLICT WITH NATIVE POPULATIONS. Mining disrupted native fishing streams while land clearing and livestock destroyed hunting grounds and wild plants. Skirmishes and massacres in the 1850s and '60s were referred to as "the Indian Wars". When Arcata journalist Bret Harte criticized the 1860 massacre of Wyot Indians by local citizens, he was run out of town.

FORT HUMBOLDT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1853 TO PROTECT THE NATIVE AND SETTLER POPULATIONS FROM EACH OTHER. Treaties often failed because settlers ignored them and the government seldom met its promises. A reservation for the Hupa people was established in 1864, supervised by Fort Gaston. By 1870, after conducting the forced relocation of many tribes, Ft. Humboldt was abandoned. Several men who served there achieved later distinction - including Ulysses S. Grant.