CLARKE HISTORICAL MUSEUM
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Humboldt County Remembers the 1960s


February 1—May 6

​The 1960s represented a decade of great hope, change, and despair in the country. Fashion shifted from the perfectly tailored suit dresses and white pearls of Jackie Kennedy to the tacky, cheap, bold, and even silly Brigitte Bardot, the first person landed on the moon, political and social icons John Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., rose to prominence and were later assassinated, young people marched in the streets to demonstrate their support for civil rights and disapproval for the Vietnam War. These and other issues strained communities and challenged beliefs.
​Humboldt County experienced growth and new construction, including Ruth Dam, the two pulp mills, College of the Redwoods, expansion of Humboldt State College, the nuclear power plant, many new highways, the creation of Redwood National Park, and the establishment of the Clarke Historical Museum. This region lived through the devastating 1964 Christmas Flood, the closure of the Eureka Woolen Mill, and the loss of at least 52 local men in the Vietnam War.

This exhibit remembers, learns from, and honors this important time period. Topics covered are the Ruth Dam, the two pulp mills, Redwood Area Scouts, College of the Redwoods, expansion of Humboldt State College, the nuclear power plant, many new highways, the creation of Redwood National Park, and the establishment of the Clarke Historical Museum. Co-curated by Carol Hale and Mariah Wellman, with items loaned by Diane Bowers, Wendy Wahlund, Janet Sorensen and Arlene Hartin.
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Clarke Historical Museum
240 E Street
​Eureka, California 95501
[email protected]
(707) 443-1947
Open Wednesday - Sunday
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed Monday and Tuesday

​Open until 8:30 p.m. during Friday Night Markets
Open until 9 p.m. during Eureka Arts Alive
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