Reprinted from the February 25, 1993 Mendocino Beacon and annotated with additional information. Caspar Creek, and later the town of Caspar, were named after Siegfried Caspar, an early settler of German descent who raised cattle in the vicinity. Construction of the sawmill near where Caspar Creek meets the ocean commenced in 1861, after the owners, William Kelley, Captain Richard Rundle, and Eugene Brown purchased 5,000 acres [...]
Excerpted and annotated from “Mendocino’s Hotels & Saloons,” by Dorothy Bear and Beth Stebbins, Mendocino Historical Review, June, 1980. Big River House was a hotel at the west end of Main Street, just west of the present Zacha Building [Now the Healing Arts Building]. [The three-story hotel sat on the northeast corner of Main and Woodward Streets. Mendocino Jams and Jellies and Mendocino Sandpiper occupy the [...]
A hand-colored promotional postcard created for the Fort Bragg Drug Store showing buildings along Lansing Street in Mendocino in 1906. The photograph from which this postcard was made was probably taken from the second floor of the Occidental Hotel, located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Lansing and Main Streets. The building on the lower left side of the image (and which fronts Main [...]
Reprinted from the November 15, 1984 Mendocino Beacon Few sailing ships or steamers plied their trade between San Francisco and Anchorage without occasionally dropping anchor off the mouth of Big River, taking on passengers or cargo to fill the hold when Noyo Harbor failed to fill it. Nearly all of them were photographed and identified at one time or another lying off the Mendocino Headlands, and [...]
The Johnson-Stauer building, situated on the northeast corner of Lansing and Ukiah Streets in Mendocino, is steeped in local history, reflecting the evolution of the town’s commercial and social life. In 1902, master carpenter J. D. Johnson, who owned the property, demolished an old barn on the site, which had most recently been used as a blacksmith shop. In its place, he constructed the current two-story [...]
On display at the Ford House on Main Street is a meticulously detailed scale model of Mendocino as it appeared in the late 19th century. Created by master craftsman Lennard "Len" Peterson between February 1989 and December 1990, the model spans a four-by-eight-foot base, with a scale of 1:384 (3/64 inches to the foot). It features 358 buildings, including hotels, businesses, homes, and outhouses, alongside 34 [...]
“J. E. Packard is having a neat cottage built on his lot near the school house grounds. We have no building boom, but several new houses are being erected about town.” Thus it was reported in the Mendocino Beacon on March 21, 1891. What has become known as the Packard-Johnson House was one of two houses built for Justin Packard in the east part of town, [...]
Herman Fayal, a lifelong resident of Mendocino, became known for his intricate miniatures that captured the spirit and history of the town he loved. Born in 1893, just a year after his parents Manuel and Maria Costa immigrated to California, Herman grew up with deep ties to the Mendocino coast. (Herman later changed his last name to avoid confusion with other Costas.) Herman Fayal in [...]
Kelley House Lattice Arbor with Abalone Shells. Undated photo of a wooden arbor with decorative abalone shells in the Kelley House yard. This small arbor was located next to the Kelley House water tower. A handmade chair made from sticks sits empty to the left of the arbor. (Gift of Margaret Kelley Campbell) Saturday and Sunday @ 11AM! Walking Tours of Historic Mendocino - [...]
In August 1952, Mendocino celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the town. The festivities drew an estimated 5,000 attendees and showcased the rich history and community spirit of Mendocino. The Centennial weekend kicked off on Saturday at Kellieowen Hall, on the southwest corner of Lansing and Ukiah Streets, where local residents proudly displayed a remarkable collection of antiques and heirlooms. The exhibit offered a [...]