Photos and Stories From The Field: How Railroads Shaped the Community of Shively, CA

A map of the San Francisco & Northwestern route and many other railroads in Humboldt County at the time.

The first railroad to reach Shively, CA (formerly Bluff Prairie) was the San Francisco & Northwestern Railroad (SF&NW), based in Eureka, CA., an affiliate railroad of the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe (AT&SF) rail company. AT&SF and Southern Pacific (SP) had a fierce rivalry over who would pierce the redwood curtain of Humboldt County first with a major rail connection. In their feud, the two corporate giants bought out many small railroads throughout Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin counties. SP prioritized the acquisition of existing railroads between San Francisco and Willits, such as the California Northwestern Railroad, while AT&SF focused on existing railroads within Humboldt County.

The South (railroad west) portal of tunnel 39 through Shively Bluff has been overtaken by brush and debris.

AT&SF’s purchase of the Eel River & Eureka Railroad and the Pacific Lumber Company’s (PLC) railroad provided existing trackage between Eureka and PLC’s Camp Nine just south of Scotia. Following this purchase, the SF&NW sought to expand beyond Camp Nine to the soon-to-be communities of Elinor and Shively. This required several substantial projects, including the erection of a massive trestle over Stitz Creek and boring a new tunnel through Shively Bluff. In February 1903, The Ferndale Enterprise reported, “there no longer seems to be any doubt but when Humboldt is to have a railroad connection with the outside world...Shively Bluff will be tunneled.” 

A photo of Shively Bluff itself, which is the land feature that tunnel 39 was bored through.

​On 20 March 1903, the first heavy work on the 1,019.4’ long tunnel through Shively Bluff commenced. General Manager Porter oversaw the project and relayed updates to local newspapers. The tunnel was primarily blasted through with dynamite, which was incredibly dangerous. The dynamite had to be brought in along with most of the other necessary supplies via ship to Humboldt Bay. The dangers of dynamite, soft strata, and caving sand made the task difficult. Landslides outside the south (railroad west) portal also provided a recurring obstacle for the crews to address.

Despite the difficulties, work progressed into the summer months at an increased rate of speed. By 24 June 1904, the tunnel was reported to have been halfway completed, and “there was much rejoicing and handshaking among the workmen.” However, there was still much work and ample opportunity for conditions to take a turn. Charles Helborne, one of the tunnel workmen, was likely killed due to a workplace injury. Helborne reported that he felt “dizzy” and was sent to the PLC’s hospital in Scotia to be seen by Dr. Pryor. Upon arrival, Pryor diagnosed Helborne with a “cerebral hemorrhage” and ordered him to seek further medical assistance in Eureka.

Unfortunately for Helborne, his condition worsened in the considerable amount of time it took for him to arrive, and he later succumbed to his injuries in Eureka’s New Grand Hotel. Although it does not explicitly say it in the article, it is likely that Helborne was part of the tunnel’s blasting crew. He was the only individual reported as a fatality during the construction period.

Caving sand has remained an issue in tunnel 39 since its completion and has collapsed inside the north (railroad east) portal.

Early in the morning on 19 March 1954, a 40,000 cubic yard slide cascaded down into the Eel River at milepost 247.0 near tunnel 39. The slide left the rail twisted, trees gnarled, and the roadbed was carried away completely out from under the tracks. The event brought crews and massive equipment to the scene within hours. The PLC and local contractor Louie Connor provided eight bulldozers to ensure that the NWP reopened as quickly as possible. It took two days to reopen the line and, undoubtedly, cost tens of thousands in lost revenue and expenditures.


In 1955, parent company SP sought to discontinue its NWP passenger service to Eureka. SP hoped to reduce its yearly operating costs from $317,000 to $120,000 by eliminating the service altogether. Residents of Shively joined the opposition to SP’s proposal and cited multiple reasons for continuing what they considered a vital service. The poor condition of the county road brought on by winter weather routinely cut off road access to the community, which made rail service a viable alternative. The worst flood on record (at that time) occurred in December 1955, which flooded Shively and destroyed much of the NWP’s right-of-way.By September 1904, the tunnel was “practically completed except laying rails,” which was a massive achievement. However, a month later, 100 feet of the south end began caving in, although it was quickly addressed before the onset of the wet season. Work started in May 1904 to extend the tunnel's track south (railroad west), until a major storm front roared into Humboldt County in January 1905, hindering further work. Those who lived at the tunnel camp explained that they would “not be surprised if this whole bluff found its way into the river, as slides are continuously occurring there.” The onslaught of winter was upon the north coast, and all the crews could do was wait out the season and hope their work would survive. Fortunately for them, the tunnel withstood its first winter season. The work was ultimately a success for the SF&NW crews, although the company’s use of the tunnel and the trackage to Shively was short-lived.

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad Company was created in 1907, and the Shively tunnel was incorporated as tunnel 39 of the NWP’s railroad route between Sausalito and Eureka. Shively naturally became the new hub for supplies brought in to bridge “The Gap” between Willits and Eureka (1907-1914). In April 1910, 400 cans of blasting powder, 40 cases of dynamite, and 43 tons of spikes were delivered to the town. A railroad depot was constructed in 1910, and a two-story hotel for expected tourists soon followed in 1911. The town’s population grew again when the PLC announced its plan to log 40 acres within the area the same year. Led more families who moved to the lumber town and established a general store, warehouse, and offices. Shively remained a notable stop and scenic area for visitors riding the NWP to Eureka from Sausalito.

Keep in mind that we did not know what was in front of us until this photo was taken and reviewed. At this point, we decided that we had seen enough and that it was time to leave.

Early in the morning on 19 March 1954, a 40,000 cubic yard slide cascaded down into the Eel River at milepost 247.0 near tunnel 39. The slide left the rail twisted, trees gnarled, and the roadbed was carried away completely out from under the tracks. The event brought crews and massive equipment to the scene within hours. The PLC and local contractor Louie Connor provided eight bulldozers to ensure that the NWP reopened as quickly as possible. It took two days to reopen the line and, undoubtedly, cost tens of thousands in lost revenue and expenditures.

In 1955, parent company SP sought to discontinue its NWP passenger service to Eureka. SP hoped to reduce its yearly operating costs from $317,000 to $120,000 by eliminating the service altogether. Residents of Shively joined the opposition to SP’s proposal and cited multiple reasons for continuing what they considered a vital service. The poor condition of the county road brought on by winter weather routinely cut off road access to the community, which made rail service a viable alternative. The worst flood on record (at that time) occurred in December 1955, which flooded Shively and destroyed much of the NWP’s right-of-way.

The Eel River rose to flood stage in December 1964 to previously unseen levels, which drove sixty-eight Shively residents from their homes. The engorged waters overtook the homes and barns of the community, and the railroad became a “buffer...and by Wednesday morning, the entire population was quartered in houses on the east side of the tracks.” Even the structures on the east side of the tracks, including the school, store, and church, were reported to be inundated by four feet of water. As a result, all structures west of the tracks, including the NWP depot, were completely overwhelmed, and the community was effectively cut off from road access in all directions. Supplies were airdropped in parachutes by the Eureka civil defense center to those who remained stranded. The flood completely wiped out the neighboring communities of Pepperwood and Dyerville (near South Fork).
​
Shively continued to make headlines regarding the NWP over the next few decades despite the elimination of passenger service in 1971. The first in the form of a serious derailment that occurred in April 1976, in which 29 rail cars lept the tracks. Boxcars, flat cars, and a tank car filled with liquid petroleum gas littered the prairie. Fortunately, the tank car did not rupture, and it was not long before the accident scene was cleared away. During Eureka Southern’s (ES) administration of the NWP, the town and tunnel 39 were captured spectacularly in the hit TV series Moonlighting in 1985. Excursion trains continued to bring railfans to the scenic community for over a decade until the last revenue train left Eureka in the El Nino storm event of February 1998.

Even though the NWP was closed to full-size trains, it still managed to accommodate a Memorial Day Weekend speeder car run. Wayne Parsons, who took part in the journey, recalled, “39 cars set on at Rohnerville (two miles south of Fortuna)...we pass large company yards filled with a redwood wealth...the mills are silent....we emerge from tunnel 39 to our first stop in Shively, MOW member and beekeeper Seth Rick lives here. His family greets us with coffee, cake, and honey.” The tracks after that run became silent as overgrowth slowly reclaimed the environment. However, decades later, Rick and several other residents of Shively accommodated us the same way they had done for the last rail buffs to roll through the area.

To this day, Shively remains one of the most fertile pieces of land in all of Humboldt County. With the NWP closed, the community relies primarily on the winding nine-mile county road off of Highway 101. Residents continue to install a summer bridge during the summer and fall, which makes the drive time much faster. It also means that those who would like to buy fresh produce can make the trip much easier.
Footnotes & additional photos can be found here.​