Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-01-02
nuMBoLDT COUNTY. CAL



Maine Men.
HuxsoLDr Bar, Cal, Dec .. 1883.
Edssoys Of tie Kesnebee Journal:
In my article 70 your paper some time
ago, on logging in Humboldt county, !
gave only brief description Of the county,
ard - many Of your readers would be glad
70 learn more concerning il, will give
more complete description. Humboldt
County, Cal, 10 the most northern Of the
counties but one lying On the Pacific coast
fts northern iioe is separated from Oregon
by the county Of Del Sorts, forty miles
and the division line between Del Norts
and Humboldt 10 about midday between
the 41st and 42d parallels. Its south
ern limit 10 marked by the 10th
parallel Il 10 bounded on the north By
Del Norte county, on the northeast by slsk
you county, On the east by Trinity county
on the south BY Meadicino county, ami on
the vest by Pacific OCEAN. IL is shout $50
miles north Of San Francisco by ocean
travel. The hafbor Of Humboldt bay is
situated about the center Of its coast iine
Humboldt county contains 1880 square
miles, or 1921 600 acres OF land. les
length from north to south 10 los miles and
| il has An average width Of about 20 miles
| and lT6 miles Of meArder tide water line
| IL 10 three times ~ large rs the state OF
| Rhode Island. one and half time, as large
~ Delaware, nearly As large as Connect
| cut, and one hxlf times ~ large A. Massa
| chasetts.
This territory 10 undivided As nearly as
| fair estimates can he made as follows
| y3I 800 acres Of timber lard hich comes
under the head Of redwood, pine, hr,
spruce and cedar zoe, 900 acres OF madrone,
black oak. white OAK. live oak, laurel;
4sOO acres adopted to agriculture 800, 900
acres Of grazing land too rough and steep
70 cultivate. The remaining 1876 900 are
more or less rough and at present consId
cred Of little value. OF the 2,297 600
acres .2O5 ,259 are assessed leaving ,092,-
Sal acres unassessed. The timber runs
through the county from North to South in
an irregular belt leaving an open margin
along the coast from two to ten miles,
though At some points 1t extends entirely
down to the ocean. The principal part Of
the farming Is done on the coast side of the
timber On the Iandwsrd side of the tim
Der lies the major part of the open land.
mostly hill land.
| This county is drained by = number Of
sire ans, two Of them quite imp ortant rivers
| The klamath, which has Its origin in south
err Oregon, flows through Humboldt and
| discharge. in Del Norte county. The en-
tire length 10 225 miles. Trinity river,
which nows through the county and emptie,
into klamath river. Maj river is quite
| large stream, enjoying into the ocean just
north Of Humboldt bay, traverslng length
of over 100 miles in the county.
| Humboldt bay is the receptacle of
| number Of email rivers and creeks, of
which Eel river il the principal one. Eel
| river empties into tho ocean nine miles
south Of the bay. Ii is second to klamath
| in value, but until recently has only been
navigated NJ uncertain intervals owing to
the untitness of the vessels employed.
Port Kenyon near the mouth of Eel river
Ia the natural outlet Of the richest agri-
cultural dsirying section in the county.
This river has its source in Mendiceno AID
Lake counties and trave.ses course Of
eighty miles in Humboldt Co, and with
| other tributaries forms a very important
ply sical feature Of the County. The
streams all how 10 = general direction from
their respective sources. and are separated
| by ranges of high country.
| From the foregoing 1t will be seen that
Humboldt County has 4 most extrsof iinary
water system both for manufactures and
navigation. To smaller streams have ample
fall to furnish water power for manufsc-
| tories, its larger streams and bay AFFORD
navigation for commerce. Along the coast
under the influences of the sea breezes and
fogs the Temperature is cool and uniform,
about IS degrees in the summer and 45
degrees in the winter. Farther
! land, the temperature is much warmer -
about so degrees in the summer and the
average for the year is % degrees The
farther inland the higher the temperature.
On the hills back Of the timber
land the snow falls every winter
bit seldom remains longer than one or two
weeks and thus one can descend in an hour
or two from the snow clad hills covered
with one to four feet of snow into the
valley where snow 10 never known. Hum
boldt Bay is the principle harbor and entire
port for the commerce Of Humboldt county.
II IL fifteen miies long, an average width of
three miles AID has 4 tidal area of forty
square miles. It has an aggregate length
Of seventy Ave miles Of navigAble channels.
II 10 the safest and most caprscious hsrbor
! between San Francisco and Puget Sound
! The census Of 1880 showed q population
of 10 500, but the rapid influx Of imlgra
ton for the past nine years will carry the
figures UP to %, 900, Within the county
are twenty Ave saw mills of large capacity
and ave smaller ones, the latter running
principally on n-ighborhood demands. Each
Of the large mills have a fully equipped
shingle mill attached to it and also lsth mills
There are also eleven independent shingle
mills running on shingles eiclusively. The
output Of lumber manufacture is rapidly
increasing, afording increased employ ment
for labor. Ship building forms a very i'm
porsant feature. There are two regular
ship yards and marine railway capable of
taking out vessels of the largest class.
Over one hundred vessels have been built
At the various ship yards and
have won the name of being
superior vessels. Agriculture and fruit
growing forms another important industry
Of the County Fruit 10 grown about thirty
miles inland The apples and peaches are
Of . superior grade, while the grapes are as
good ~ those grown in the lower counties.
Humboldt apples are msch sought after
and bring much higher price than others
in the market. Dairying is carried on to
large extent. butter brings q good price.
twenty TO thirty cents in the summer and
fifty cents in winter. Cleared farming
land sells for two hundred dollars An acre.
1t must be emeuibered that this is q new
county and is not cultivated and improved
- are our Eastern States but has . great
future. The coil 10 Of the best and pro-
duces abundantly. A person to make
success Of farming here. as in any place,
mus, attend strictly to business. The ma
jority Of the people are from Maine and
the Provinces and stili retAin their eastern
habits and customs.
MORTIMER f. ADAMS.
VOICES OF THE FREss