Editing Ferndale, California (section)

==History==
Before American settlement, Ferndale was a glade of giant [[fern]]s reaching more than {{convert|6|ft|m|spell=in}}, surrounded by [[alder]], [[willow]], [[Picea sitchensis|Sitka spruce]], [[Douglas-fir|Douglas fir]], [[Sequoia sempervirens|coast redwood]], swampy land, and windswept prairies. The area was populated by the southern [[Wiyot]] people, and centered along the Eel River, where they caught [[lamprey]] eels, [[salmon]] and [[sturgeon]] in [[Iris (plant)|iris]] leaf fish nets and collected shellfish along the river and at its mouth,<ref name ="Carlson">{{Cite book |last=Carlson |first=Beverly |title=Where the Ferns Grew Tall |publisher=The Ferndale Museum |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-9839019-0-7 |editor-last=Lestina |editor-first=Wendy |edition=2nd |location=Ferndale, California   |language=en |orig-date=1976 |editor-last2=Boynton |editor-first2=Mary Ellen}}</ref>{{rp|13–15}} while cultivating a California species of [[Nicotiana|tobacco]].<ref name="Winter">{{cite book |last=Winter |first=Joseph C. |title=Tobacco Use by Native North Americans: Sacred Smoke and Silent Killer |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |year=2000 |location=Norman, Oklahoma |pages=28 |language=en |oclc=247080904}}</ref>

The town was established in 1852 from settlement by Willard Allard, Seth Louis Shaw, and his brother, American portrait painter [[Stephen William Shaw]].<ref name ="Carlson" />{{rp|18}} The settlement was incorporated in 1893.<ref name="CGN" />

=== Early settlers ===
[[File:Ferndale CA Centennial Plaque.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|right|The marble Centennial Plaque for Ferndale, California, on Main Street, erected in 1952]] In August 1852, Allard and the Shaw brothers borrowed a canoe from the Wiyots in the [[Table Bluff, California|Table Bluff]] area and paddled it across the Eel and up Francis Creek to arrive with their supplies in the approximate vicinity of what is now Main and Shaw streets.<ref name ="Carlson" />{{rp|18}} In September 1852, they cleared a five-acre area of ferns and began building a cabin near the base of the Wildcat Road even though Allard was sick with ague.<ref name ="Carlson" />{{rp|18}} By January 1853, twelve men were living in the Shaws' cabin including [[Seth Kinman]], who provided the group with meat, and Joseph Russ. About this time, Stephen Shaw painted the portrait of Wiyot elder Kiwelattah (or Ki-we-lah-tah)<ref name="Palmquist, 2000">{{cite book  | last =Palmquist  | first =Peter E.  |author2=Thomas R. Kailbourn  | title =Pioneer photographers of the far west: a biographical dictionary, 1840–1865  | publisher =Stanford University Press  | year =2000  | pages =491  | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=Nne4L9h27RsC&pg=PA491  | isbn =978-0-8047-3883-5}}</ref> and kept a detailed journal of two years of trying to grow plants in cold coastal fog.<ref name="Shaw, 1853">{{cite book  | last =Shaw | first =Stephen William  | title =The Record Book of the Farm  | publisher = Ferndale Museum reprint 2013  | date =1852–1853  | url =http://www.ferndale-museum.org/ }}</ref>

Seth Shaw settled in the area now marked by Main and Lewis streets where he began construction of the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] style [[Shaw House (Ferndale, California)|Shaw House]] on his property in 1854.<ref name="NRIS">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref><ref name="Genzoli">{{cite book  | last =Genzoli  | first =Marilyn   | title =The Victorian Homes of Ferndale: A Pictorial Guide and History  | publisher =The Ferndale Museum  | year =1994  | location =Ferndale, CA  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PKuGGwAACAAJ| pages =1–24}}</ref> The Shaw House served as the area's first [[polling place]] in 1854, [[post office]] and [[courthouse]] in 1863.<ref name ="Carlson" />{{rp|44}}<ref name="nris" /> in 1860<ref name=CGN>{{California's Geographic Names|59}}</ref> Seth Shaw was [[justice of the peace]] and [[postmaster]],<ref name="Tapper">{{cite book  | last =Tapper  | first =Joan   | title =The Most Beautiful Villages and Towns of California, with photographs by Nik Wheeler  | publisher =Thames & Hudson  | year =2007  | location = New York  | pages =22–23  | isbn = 978-0-500-51368-2 | title-link =Nik Wheeler }}</ref> and his home served for many gatherings although it was not finished until 1866.<ref name ="Carlson" />{{rp|44}} After having been away from the area for two years, Stephen Shaw sold his holdings in 1856 to Welsh-born Francis Francis (1818–1877) who later established the city's water system<ref name="Ferndale Museum">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVTuu4xATMsC |title=Images of America: Ferndale |publisher=Arcadia Publishing (copyright by The Ferndale Museum) |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7385-2890-8 |editor=Bess |editor-first=Carol |location=Charleston, South Carolina |pages=1–128 |language=en |lccn=2004104609 |editor2=Newman |editor-first2=Beryl |editor3=Roberts |editor-first3=Ann}}</ref>{{rp|67}} through pipes first laid in 1875.<ref name ="Carlson" />{{rp|46}}

Other small towns were established around Ferndale, including [[Centerville, Humboldt County, California|Centerville]], [[Port Kenyon, California|Port Kenyon]], Waddington, [[Grizzly Bluff School|Grizzly Bluff]], and [[Arlynda Corners, California|Arlynda Corners]]. Produce from Ferndale was shipped out via Centerville and transferred to ships at anchor offshore prior to the opening of docks at [[Port Kenyon, California|Port Kenyon]] in 1876.<ref name ="Carlson" />

While the earliest settlers were English speaking from [[Great Britain]], [[New England]], [[Canada]], or [[Ireland]], waves of immigrants arrived in Ferndale from [[Denmark]], [[Switzerland]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[Portugal]], and [[China]].<ref name ="Carlson" />{{rp|65}}

===European immigrants===
Danish settlers founded and built Our Savior's Lutheran Church in 1899 and dedicated Danish Hall, which had been built as a warehouse by [[A. Berding House|Arnold Berding]] in the late 1880s, on October 10, 1929.<ref name ="Carlson" />{{rp|67}} The Swiss who settled in Ferndale from Italian- and German-speaking families included the Oeschgers who moved to Ferndale in time for [[Joe Oeschger]] to play baseball at Ferndale High School before going to a career in [[Major League Baseball]]. A later influx of Romansh Swiss included the ancestors of [[College Football Hall of Fame]] coach [[Len Casanova]].<ref name ="Carlson" /> Sausage, salami-making and wine-making can be traced to Italians who arrived later than the Danish and Swiss, beginning around 1897.<ref name ="Carlson" /> The Germans arrived earlier; the first was businessman Arnold Berding in 1857.<ref name ="Carlson" /> Most Germans worked on ranches or were dairymen, but at least one owned the Milwaukee Brewery Depot Saloon.<ref name ="Carlson" /> United States Congressman [[Donald H. Clausen|Don Clausen]] is descended from German settlers of Ferndale.<ref name ="Carlson" /> German settlers organized St. Mark's Lutheran Church in 1906.<ref name ="Carlson" /> Except for three [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] brothers who arrived in the 1870s and a few from mainland Portugal, most came from the [[Azores]] islands between 1900 and 1915.<ref name ="Carlson" /> Ferndale Portuguese have celebrated their traditional Festival of the Holy Ghost since 1924.<ref name ="Carlson" />

===Chinese settlement and expulsions===
[[Chinese people|Chinese immigrants]] arrived in California in the earliest gold-rush days, and were settled in all parts of Humboldt County almost as soon as English-speaking whites.<ref name="Carranco">{{cite journal   | last =Carranco  | first =Lynwood  | title =Chinese expulsion from Humboldt County  | journal =Pacific Historical Review  | volume =  30| issue =November  | pages =  329–340| year =1961  |oclc=8695441  | doi =10.2307/3636420  | jstor =3636420}}</ref> They worked in gold mining on the [[Klamath River, California|Klamath]] and [[Trinity River (California)|Trinity Rivers]], before settling mostly in [[Eureka, California|Eureka]], with a few in outlying towns like Ferndale where two Chinese owned clothes washing businesses.<ref name="Carranco" /> Chinese laborers built parts of the Wildcat Road between Ferndale and [[Petrolia, California|Petrolia]], dug out the water reservoirs for the Francis Water Company and worked at two fish [[Canning|canneries]] on the Eel River, although – as was the case in the rest of California – they were not truly welcome.<ref name="Carranco" />

In 1885, after a city councilman of the county seat Eureka was shot dead in the crossfire from two warring Chinese [[Tong (organization)|tong gangs]], 480 Chinese residents were rounded up in two days and forced to relocate to San Francisco.<ref name="Carranco" /> A year later, the Cutting Packing Company brought in a crew of Chinese for the season.<ref name="Carranco" /> Following a heated meeting at Roberts Hall in Ferndale between local residents and an upset delegation from Eureka, the company guaranteed the workers would come nowhere near town and they were allowed to stay until the fishing season was over in December.<ref name="Carranco" /> Chinese crews were used again at the same cannery in 1887 and 1889.<ref name="Carranco" />

In 1906 Eureka and [[Fortuna, California|Fortuna]] citizens were again up in arms at Ferndale's violation of the unwritten law of the county when the Starbuck–Talent Canning Company of Port Kenyon brought in 23 Chinese and four Japanese to work at the cannery.<ref name="Carranco" /> After threats of mass action, the Chinese were taken to an old cookhouse on [[Indian Island (Humboldt Bay)|Indian Island]] from which all whites were barred and where they were held until they left by sea.<ref name="Carranco" /> The Japanese were permitted to keep working for Starbuck–Talent.<ref name="Carranco" />

===Business and communications===
Dairies were founded from the Bear River Ridge to the south side of the Eel River starting in the late 1860s.<ref name ="Carlson" /> Filled kegs of butter were transported along the beach river by four-horse teams from the Mattole to Centerville or Port Kenyon and the teams returned supplies from Ferndale.<ref name ="Carlson" /> The 81 dairies from the southern area faded as the land along the Eel River Valley was settled for dairying, first by the Danes and later by other settlers.<ref name ="Carlson" /> In the 1880s, multiple cooperative creameries in the Eel River valley began to process milk into butter; by 1904, the Central Creamery on Main Street Ferndale had combined the smaller operations into a more modern production facility.<ref name ="Carlson" />

The use of paper wrapping on butter to reduce air oxidation was pioneered in Ferndale at the suggestion of Chester E. Gray (1881–1944) from the [[United States Department of Agriculture|U.S. Department of Agriculture]] who studied the problem of unrefrigerated fine butter turning white within hours of production.<ref name ="Carlson" /> Gray patented a new spray-drying process (U.S. Patent #858,868 – 1907 and #1,157,935 – 1915) and went into business with Central Creamery owner Aage Jensen in a new dry-milk manufacturing process that used non-fat milk solids which had formerly been waste of the process.<ref name ="Carlson" /> Their new plant processed 75,000 pounds of milk a day, shipping to San Francisco and filling contracts for the U.S. Navy.<ref name ="Carlson" /> The first motorized milk truck was used here.<ref name="library.humboldt.edu">{{cite archive|box=9–10|collection=Andrew Genzoli Collection|collection-url=http://library.humboldt.edu/humco/holdings/genzoli.htm|repository=Humboldt State University Special Collections|institution=Humboldt State University|location=Arcata, California}}</ref>

In 1916, Grey and Jensen moved to San Francisco and changed the company name to Golden State Creamery<ref name ="Carlson" /> Local Ferndale resident and Eureka newspaper editor Andrew Genzoli began recording the history of the Ferndale dairies during this time, culminating in scrapbooks of newspaper clippings from 1910 to 1954.<ref name="library.humboldt.edu" />

Ferndale was a crossroads village and provided lodging, horses, [[blacksmith]]ing and other services both to individual travelers and the Overland Stage and Express line which ran from Eureka to [[Cloverdale, California|Cloverdale]] with connections to San Francisco; over 80 hours of traveling for a cost of $20.<ref name ="Carlson" /> The first stage line was founded in 1862 with daily trips from Eureka, Centerville, and Petrolia.<ref name ="Carlson" /> In 1868, twice weekly stages ran to San Francisco and by 1871 daily service was available. The first automobiles were used for the stage runs in 1911, the same year as [[Fernbridge (bridge)]] was built, eliminating the need for ferry boat service.<ref name ="Carlson" />

In 1878, regular service on [[steamship]]s carried produce, cargo and passengers from Port Kenyon, where, by 1897, 188,652 pounds of wool and 965,010 pounds of butter were shipped out along with grains, chickens, potatoes, lumber, eggs, hides, vegetables, and salmon.<ref name ="Carlson" /> The steamer trade declined as the [[Salt River (California)|Salt River]] silted up and the transport hub shifted to Eureka<ref name ="Carlson" /> The completion of the [[Northwestern Pacific Railroad]] in 1914 allowed for speedier transportation to Eureka and the San Francisco area. The track was built about five miles to the northwest of Ferndale in [[Fernbridge, California|Fernbridge]].

Main Street businesses supplied the needs of not only the Ferndale area, but for the inland Mattole Valley as well.<ref name ="Carlson" /> They included banks, hotels, stables, variety and merchandise stores, hardware and grocery stores, farm and machine implements, butchers, blacksmiths shoemakers, barbers, tailors, [[Hatmaking|milliners]], saloons and gambling halls, billiard parlors, coopers, doctors, dentists, drug stores, lawyers, engineers, surveyors, real estate agents, several photographers, furniture makers, [[Funeral director|undertakers]], a [[Telegraphy|telegraph office]], and a Wells–Fargo office.

Telephone and telegraph wires were run into the valley by private companies in the 1890s; by 1899, it was said that the telephone was in "almost universal use in this valley."<ref name="FE1899">{{cite news   | title =Local News  | publisher =The Ferndale Enterprise  | date =February 28, 1899 }}</ref> In 1900, the telephone line was extended to the Mattole Oil fields in Petrolia.<ref name="FE1900">{{cite news   | title =Local News  | publisher =The Ferndale Enterprise  | date =March 17, 1900 }}</ref> In 1911, the Eel River and Southern Telephone company consolidated operations around Ferndale, and, on February 6, 1960, dial telephones were introduced; the old switchboard and crank phones are on display at the [[Ferndale Museum]].<ref name="FE1960">{{cite news   | title =Local News  | publisher =The Ferndale Enterprise  | date =February 5, 1960 }}</ref>

The ''Ferndale Enterprise'' newspaper was founded on May 11, 1878, by three sons of the local [[Methodism|Methodist]] minister and has published continuously since then, while moving offices and shifting from semi-weekly to weekly publication.<ref name ="Carlson" /><ref name="Titus">{{cite web  | last =Titus  | first =Caroline  | title =History  | publisher =Ferndale Enterprise  | url =http://www.ferndaleenterprise.com/history/   | access-date = October 10, 2012 | date =January 30, 2012}}</ref>

===Incorporation and services===
Ferndale incorporated with a vote of 89 in favor and 47 against on August 17, 1893, primarily to organize drainage and prevent dogs and other animals from running loose, according to the earliest ordinances enacted.<ref name ="Carlson" /> In 1915, the current firehouse was built as combined firehouse and city hall.<ref name ="Carlson" /> 
[[File:Hunneman End-stroke Torrent Pumper.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2| The Hunneman side-stroke torrent pumper used by Ferndale for over 40 years, pictured outside the Victorian Inn {{Circa|1890}}]]
After the 1875 fire which nearly destroyed south Main street was put out by volunteer bucket brigades, and after other smaller conflagrations, the City purchased a used Hunneman hand pumper fire engine on April 14, 1883.<ref name ="Carlson" /> The side-stroke torrent pumper had been built in the 1850s and been shipped west in the 1860s.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hand Engine Sold|url=http://www.ferndalefire.org/wp-content/uploads/18830415-San-Jose-Morning-TImes-392x600.jpg|access-date=August 8, 2015|publisher=San Jose Morning Times|date=April 15, 1883}}</ref> The name on the side of this engine was "Franklin" because the city bought it from the Franklin Fire Company of [[San Jose, California]]. The engine was transferred to the newly formed Ferndale Fire Department when they organized in February 1897. In November 1923, after 41 years in service, the hand pumper was shipped to the [[American LaFrance]] Company, "as part payment on the fine new pumper recently purchased by this town."<ref>{{cite news|title=Old Fire Engine Leaves Ferndale|work=Ferndale Enterprise|date=November 30, 1923|url=http://www.ferndalefire.org/apparatus/historical/hunneman-hand-pumper/}}</ref> Other sources say the engine was sold to a Hollywood film company.<ref name ="Carlson" />

Modern equipment arrived in 1905 with a motorized pumper engine, in 1917 with a Model T truck with chemical tanks and in 1948 the Hook and Ladder Company formed.<ref name ="Carlson" /> In 1883, water supplies were consolidated in local cisterns under present-day [[California State Route 211|State Route 211]] which were later filled in and water from the hill reservoirs was used to supply the hydrants.<ref name ="Carlson" />

In 1902, the fire alarm was placed in a wooden structure at the corner of Brown and Main which fell over in the 1906 earthquake which led to the bell being hung at the firehouse, and a steam-whistle at the Creamery used for the fire alarm from 1906 until electric sirens came into use in 1931<ref name ="Carlson" />

Electrical lighting was installed in May 1896, supplied by a wood-burning steam electric-generating plant that worked between dusk and midnight only; it was replaced in 1903 by a distillate-burning steam electric generator a few blocks east of Main Street.<ref name ="Carlson" /> In 1911, the earlier generation and distribution systems were merged into Western States Gas and Electric acquired in 1927 by the [[Pacific Gas and Electric Company]].<ref name ="Carlson" />

The national landmark [[Ferndale Public Library]] was completed in 1910 with local funds and an $8,000 [[Carnegie library|Carnegie grant]].<ref name ="Carlson" /> In 1876, the Ferndale Cemetery Association was established, which manages the {{Convert|5.03|acre|ha|adj=on}} burial ground.<ref name ="Carlson" /> There is also a Catholic cemetery on Bluff Street.

The [[Ferndale Museum]] has educational exhibits of area history, paper records, photographs and also genealogical resources.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023–2024 |title=Head to the friendly Ferndale Museum for history lessons |language=en-us |edition=Souvenir |pages=1, 29 |work=The Ferndale Enterprise |publisher=Cage Publishing, Incorporated |location=Ferndale, California |editor-last=Titus |editor-first=Caroline}}</ref>