Michael Kraft
For a lightly populated place, Humboldt holds a lot of history, a mix of pre-colonization and post-colonization, happy and tragic. We also enjoy a good number of people dedicated to preserving and exploring that history. The Humboldt County Historical Society sits at the center of these efforts. As Executive Director Chuck Petty puts it, it’s about “where you came from, and how your community came to life.”
The Historical Society has been at it for 78 years. They attempt to preserve all aspects of local history with a collection that contains photos, an extensive book collection, ledgers, cassette and video tapes with oral histories, and some artifacts. (They collaborate with museums, which hold more artifacts, ranging from the local Clarke Museum to UC Riverside’s.) Other offerings include a monthly speakers bureau and a fun little gift shop.
As I walked around the historic Helen Wells Barnum home that serves as headquarters, I was charmed by three senior class photos. There was the Eureka High class of 1901 and Arcata High classes of 1915 and 1919. As a guy who hasn’t worn a tie in this decade, I was forced to admit that people really did dress more elegantly back then.
Chuck told me that his current priorities include gathering more stories of underrepresented people. This includes marginalized populations like Native Americans, but also those who, though not subject to horrible treatment, generally haven’t had their stories told. These include the region’s Portuguese and Scandinavian populations.
In the first paragraph, I mentioned local historians. It feels like this would be a good place to plug the work of two local historians. Lynette Mullen focuses on the history of marginalized people, with a recent focus on ladies of the evening. You can find some of that work here: https://thelowerlevels.com/ .
Lynette says “I deeply appreciate the Humboldt County Historical Society for their dedication to preserving our local history and making it accessible to researchers like me. Their open-door approach invites anyone to explore the past in person, while membership offers special access to online archives—including The Humboldt Historian—making it easier than ever to learn about our local history from the comfort of home.”
Steven Lazar, meanwhile, collects historical regional postcards and published an impressive, easily searched collection of hundreds upon hundreds of them here: https://thehumboldtproject.org/s/home/page/welcome.
The Society keeps itself funded in several ways. It has won grants for research on topics such as the little-known history of whaling in this region and on the expulsions of Chinese people. Memberships, which start at $40 per year or $20 for students, provide important income (check out how to join the existing 1000 members here: https://www.humboldthistory.org/membership). Donations are, of course, welcome. The organization also has a planned giving program, a smart way to leave a legacy when you, um, inevitably become history.
Interestingly, in addition to financial donations, the Society encourages people to think about donating items of historical value. They encourage you to bring everything you reasonably believe would be of interest and let the Society’s people go from there. To do this, first reach out to the archivist at (707) 445-4342 or info@humboldthistory.org.
A small team, five part-time staff and about a dozen volunteers, makes the organization go. They perform digitizing of documents, staff tables to inform the public about the Society, and staff the Gross-Wells-Barnum House Wednesdays through Fridays, the days it’s open.
Our local history, while sometimes incredibly sad, proves to be fascinating. The Humboldt Historical Society intends to keep on, chronicling it and providing a resource for all who want to learn that history.
Good Work is a series written by Michael Kraft, who volunteers on behalf of the Northern California Association of Nonprofits (NorCAN). NorCAN supports connections between people and organizations that work every day to keep our communities healthy and strong by offering professional development, board support, networking connections and more. Learn more at https://norcal-nonprofits.org/. To nominate a deserving nonprofit organization to be profiled, email michael@kraftconsultants.com.
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