1959 Map of Arcata South

About this map

Humboldt State University anchors the north end of this coastal landscape where the timber-and-transit history of Northern California meets the Pacific. The Northwestern Pacific railroad corridor skirts the edge of Arcata Bay, passing through the Arcata Bottoms and the settlement of Brainard. This survey documents the interface between the tidal flats of Humboldt Bay and the rising timberland of Fickle Hill, where numerous quarries and gulches like Rocky Gulch and Morrison Gulch suggest an economy tied to the land. Inland, rural life is marked by the Jacoby Creek Sch and Garfield School, while the developing suburbs of Sunny Brae and Indianola begin to fill the space between the marshes and the foothills. The presence of the Radio Tower (KENL) and the Eureka Airport signals the region's mid-century modernization as it expanded beyond its traditional logging and maritime roots.