Clarke Historical Museum
  • Home
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • Work at the Clarke!
    • About the Clarke >
      • Staff & Board
    • How to find us
  • Exhibits
    • Native Plant Garden
    • Main Hall >
      • The Christmas Flood of 1964
      • Emmerson Room >
        • The Carolyn Burns Foundation
      • Clarke Bird Collection
      • Clarke Gem & Mineral Collection
    • Nealis Hall >
      • About Nealis Hall
      • History of Nealis Hall
      • Hover Collection
      • Becker Memorial Collection
      • Past Mini-Exhibits
    • Community Case
    • Opera Alley >
      • Past Opera Alley Exhibits
    • WWII Memorial Exhibit at the Humboldt County Airport
    • Virtual Tours
    • Online Exhibits >
      • Immigration, Expulsion, Homecoming
    • Exhibit Archive >
      • Notable Women of Humboldt County
      • Bigfoot Quilt Raffle
  • Events
    • 60s Dance Party
  • Support
    • Admission
    • Membership
    • Volunteer
    • Donations & Fundraisers
    • Sponsorships
    • Internships
  • Blog
  • Education
    • Bookstore
    • TikTok Videos
    • Teacher Resources
    • Additional Resources
    • Research >
      • Humboldt History
      • Local History Links
  • NCMA
  • Tours
    • Chinatown Walking Tours
    • School Tours >
      • Donate & Schedule Your Tour

Railroads of Humboldt County


Exploring the rich railroading history of rural Humboldt

An immersive deep dive into the eventful history of the railroads throughout the county, complete with artifacts, images and videos to illustrate the importance and impact of the industry on this area, its people and how it connected this little rural county to the rest of California and beyond!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

The Railroad through the Eras

Learn about the four distinct eras of our railroad as it passed through different Administrations responsible for their operations.
  1. 1907-1983   Northwestern/Southern Pacific
  2. 1984-1991   Eureka Southern
  3. 1992-1998  North Coast Railroad Authority
  4. 1998-now   post-closure

Rebuilding the NWP after the 1964 Flood

Dive into what it took to rebuild the Northwestern Pacific Railroad after being severely damaged in the Great Flood of 1964, and the celebration of the workers' efforts that followed its return to service in 1965.
Picture
Picture

History of the AMR, NWP & SP Railroads

Check out historical artifacts spanning the entire era of Humboldt railroads from the beginnings of the Arcata & Mad River Railroad to the dissolution of the Eureka Southern, including: 
  • Engineer and conductor uniforms
  • Original printed timetables and rulebooks
  • Dishware, pocketwatches and other memorabilia
  • Commemorative flags
  • Original tickets and more!

Where are they now?

Explore the current status of the railroad with images of rails, tunnels, bridges and scenery taken during hikes & exploratory trips across the county by Executive Director and Curator Josh Buck.
Picture

Want to see and even touch more railroad artifacts in a historical setting? Check out Timber Heritage Association's shop grounds in Samoa, the original site of the Hammond Lumber Company and home of the last original-standing roundhouse on the West Coast. Check out their site at the link above for information on events, tour options and their mission to preserve the lumber & rail history of Humboldt!
Clarke Historical Museum
240 E Street
​Eureka, California 95501
admin@clarkemuseum.org
(707) 443-1947
Open Wednesday-Sunday
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed Monday & Tuesday

​
Open until 8:30 p.m. during Friday Night Markets
Open until 9 p.m. during Eureka Arts Alive
Copyright © 2018. All Rights Reserved.