Eureka – Now and Then

The city began as an 1850 settlement on the edge of Humboldt Bay where the district is today. Developers and settlers planned for Eureka to aid in the provision of miners working inland to the east. By 1865 the central core of what would become Eureka’s “Old Town” was considered “a lively place for a small town, full of business and with plenty of money… the roads beyond Second street (the equivalent of “Main” Street) were covered with stumps from the (recently logged) Redwood forest and not yet open

Now Old Town is the thriving, cultural heart of Eureka, California and the region. Its placement on the California North Coast is indisputably beautiful. The area, often shrouded in fog and very definitely behind the Redwood Curtain, is very different from the rest of California. The vibrant art scene that has grown up there in the final decades of the 20th century led to the declaration that the city was one of the 100 best art towns in America.  I was impressed walking around with how much art was to be seen in the streets and alleys. Here is just a sample of what. I saw.