Fourth of July parade in Mendocino headed east down Main Street. Horses are pulling decorated wagons carrying people.
Seen on the left side of the image are the Ford property’s fenced gardens. Note the wooden sidewalk and the square wooden utility poles along the street.
On the right side is the Kelley house property with large cypress trees along its fenced frontage. On the far right is the old Kelley Store building on the corner of Main and Lansing Streets, occupied at this time by Brown & Gray General Merchandise. Other identifiable buildings farther down Main Street include the Alhambra Hotel (torn down in 1923), the Central Hotel (later the Mendocino Hotel), and the Jarvis & Nichols Building (today’s Gallery Bookshop).
This photograph was likely taken from the second floor of the Occidental Hotel, located at the intersection of Lansing and Main Street. This hotel burned down in 1941. View is looking northwest.
Did you know that the Mendocino Whale Festival started as an act of protest against commercial whaling? Visit the Kelley House Museum during March for a special exhibit about the Mendocino Whale War, started by a group of locals who launched the first Whale Festival to educate the public about the plight of endangered whales on the coast. Posters, photographs, and clippings will be on display, along with a slideshow from founding member and photographer Nicholas Wilson. $5 suggested donation. Fri – Sun, 11 am – 3 pm.