Walking or sitting, you will pick up some fascinating facts in two new tours for history lovers at the Kelley House Museum. David and Katy Tahja, a team of Kelley House docents from Comptche, have developed tours about the areas of Mendocino history that interest each of them most. Beginning on July 10th, David will lead a two-hour walking tour called “Stump to Ship: Logging in [...]
by Nancy Freeze Mendocino Fourth of July Parade, 1902. A Perley Maxwell photograph of the 1902 Mendocino Fourth of July parade heading east on Main Street near the intersection with Lansing Street. Elaborately decorated floats are drawn by horse teams. People stand and watch the spectacle along the parade route. Note the tall board fence enclosing a garden on the left, constructed with braces to [...]
When we left off last week, Footprints on the Mendocino Coast had John Simpson Ross hurrying to finish his house in Caspar before his family arrived from Canada. In mid-June of 1870, before the house was completely ready, Jane Ross and the three children (William, John, and Lizzie) and her aged parents, Ann and Robert Ralston, disembarked from the Cora down in Caspar Cove. Members of [...]
Sandra Hahn reading her opening speech. June 29, 1966 - A Peace Fair opened at the Mendocino Coast Gallery located on the northwest corner of Main and Lansing streets. Running thru July 4th, the theme of the fair was "Peace and War,” and its purpose was to explore the critical issues involved in the search for peace during the Vietnam War era. Sandra Hahn [...]
Looking northeast towards the Eugene Brown House, located at 45120 Main Street, Mendocino, c. 1973. (Gift of Beth Stebbins) Albert Maxwell constructed this two-story home for Eugene Brown in 1878. At that time, Eugene owned and operated the mercantile store just to the west. Eugene and his mother were living in Pine Grove, but his mother wanted to live in town. Eugene Brown died [...]
Last week in the Mendocino Community Library I was sorting through donated books and found a publication called Footprints on the Mendocino Coast with a drawing of a strangely familiar house on its cover. I recognized the house almost immediately and opened the book to learn more. Published in 1970 by the Mendocino County Historical Society, the book is the Reverend John Simpson Ross’ account of [...]
Joe Nichols' Poolroom in Skating Rink Hall in Mendocino, c. 1910. Between 1909 and 1918, Joseph H. Nichols operated a poolroom, concession stand, and moving-picture theatre in the building located on the southwest corner of Ukiah and Lansing Streets. Skating Rink Hall was built by William H. Kelley in 1887 to serve as a dance hall and recreation center. Kelley’s daughter, Daisy MacCallum, remodeled [...]
Studio portrait of Thomas Doyle, dressed as a cowboy/sheriff with a background of horse saddles, ropes and spurs. (Studio: Chas. McMillan, Vallejo, California) June 21, 1919 - Thomas Doyle, sawyer at the Mendocino Lumber Company mill, caught a 32-pound codfish “in a crab net off the boom-sticks at the mill. Tom thought he had netted a submarine or a trunk of buried treasure when [...]
(Gift of Dorothy Carvalho) Silver workman's key-wind pocket watch, manufactured by the American Watch Company between 1890 and 1910 and owned by Antone Carvalho. Watch has a leather strap with key, two bottom hinges to open face, and top strap loop, white face with black roman numerals and a "seconds" dial, on face. Inscription on watch says "Am Watch Co., Waltham.” This was a [...]
Piccolotti Children Fishing at Boyle's Camp, c. 1928. The children are standing on what appears to be a wharf or bridge with a wooden railing, and are holding up several strings of small fish they have presumably caught from Big River. A fishing pole is held upright by one child. The youngest are wearing overalls, and some are barefoot. Pete Piccolotti, his wife Rosa, [...]