We interviewed a woman named Patti Hawkes. She told us about growing up in Arcata.
Mrs. Hawkes' family has lived in Arcata for a long time. They lived in a house where Los Bagels is now. Her father had a meat wagon. He drove to the houses in the country around Arcata and sold meat to people. Some times he gave hot dogs away to little kids. Mrs. Hawkes liked to go with her father when she was little because she got goodies from some of the customers.
While Mrs. Hawkes' father was out selling meat, her mother stayed home and did work. She did house work and took care of her family. Sometimes men who
didn't have homes or jobs, called hoboes, carne to the door looking for work and food. Mrs. Hawkes' mother would give the hoboes a sandwich and a job to do. Mrs. Hawkes had heard that the hoboes put X's on the fences of houses where the "pickings were good," but she wasn't sure if it were true.
Mrs. Hawkes went to Stewart School when she was a child. She liked her friends and teachers. Sometimes the children played in the basement at recess when it was raining. Sometimes they had plays. One time Mrs. Hawkes' teacher told them to study for a geography test. They studied and studied. The next morning the teacher passed out paper and pencils, then went to the chalkboard and wrote, "April Fools!" The kids were relieved.
There was no television when Mrs. Hawkes was a kid, so they did other things to have fun. She liked to walk to the Post Office after school to meet her friends. The Post Office was where Bistrin's was for a long time. They would go skating or play games like jump-rope and jacks. Once in a while they would put on back yard carnivals. They would sing, play instruments, and dance. They did it for fun and to raise money.
In summer time, she liked to do lots of things. Her family would go swimming at Mad River, go camping and have Sunday picnics. They would go to the 4th of July Celebration in town every year. One year, Mrs. Hawkes got chicken lice and couldn't go.
Mrs. Hawkes told us about other interesting things that happened to her when she was a kid. Sometimes, as a joke, Mrs. Hawkes and her friends would call the tobacco store in town, where the Outdoor Store is now. They would ask Mr. Taylor, the man on the phone, if he had Prince Albert in a can. He always answered, "Yes." Then they would say, Let him out!"
Mrs. Hawkes graduated from Arcata High School in 1942. She got married and, in 1946, she and her husband
moved to Western Avenue in the Sunset area. They had two daughters who went to Sunset School when they got old enough.
About this same time, there were many mills in Arcata. There were 3 mills near Mrs. Hawkes' house that were running all night and day. The mills had big tipi burners that burned all the scrapwood and sawdust. Sawdust would fly out everywhere. In the mornings, there would be an inch of sawdust covering cars and houses. It was really hard to grow a garden near the mills.
As a family, the Hawkes did many fun things. They went camping and swimming at Clam and Moon stone Beaches. They liked to go for rides in their Studebaker on Sundays.
Mrs. Hawkes liked growing up and living in Arcata. She liked it because the people were nice and everyone knew each other. She said it was a safe place to live.
Note: Mrs. Hawkes was very active in the Sunset School P.T.A. during its formative years, serving as its president during 1955-56 and 1956-57.
Mr. Bill Norris has worked in lumber mills for much of his life. His first job was in his father's mill in the state of Washington. He came to Humboldt County in 1946 to start his own lumber mill, where he milled second growth redwood until 1968. Mr. Norris visited our classes to talk about how lurmber mills have changed over the years.
Our area is very special, because there are only two places in the world where redwood trees can be found, in California and in the Orient. Many men who gave up gold mining in the Trinity Mountains turned instead to selling redwood trees as a quicker and easier way to make
money. In the 1950's, there were over 300 wood processing plants in and around Arcata. (Today there are just over 25.) Mr. Norris told us a little about what mills were like back in the 1950's.
The early mills in Arcata were very wasteful and dirty. Only a certain part of the redwood tree was used. The sapwood was burned because it rotted faster than heartwood, and so was the bark. Mills used to put all their scrap into a pile and light it on fire.
Later, the mills used teepee burners. The teepee burners had a screen that bits of sawdust got caught on, and often the sawdust caught on fire. At one time, there were teepee burners on three sides of the Arcata High School. Mr. Norris told us that three men had the job of cleaning ashes and sawdust off the playground and roof of the high school every day with shovels and brooms.
At night, the smoke and cinders coming from the burners made the sky look like the Fourth of July. Mr. Norris recalled a story about a San Francisco writer passing through at night on his way to Oregon. The writer wrote an article about stopping in Eureka to wet down the top of his convertible before driving through Arcata. He thought it might catch on fire from all of the falling cinders. (Of course, it was only written as a joke for the newspaper.)
Mr. Norris pointed out that now the lumber mills are not so wasteful. Today, waste is used to help run steam plants for electricity. Wood pu]p is used for making paper, and redwood sap is sold along with the heartwood.
Many mills in Arcata used to have log ponds and cookhouses. Log ponds were an easy way to dump logs and sort them. The ponds made sawing easy for the men and the saws because the log pond water got inside and kept the wood damp. This also kept the logs from drying out too fast and cracking. The cookhouses served food to the workers who were far from home. (Mr. Norris remem-
bered a logger named Axel, who always ate the whole first bowl of mashed potatoes himself when they were served at noon. The cooks had to bring out another bowl for the others.)
Mr. Norris also talked about some of the changes he has seen in equipment. Loggers used to use long metal poles to take the thick bark offthe redwood trees. Now they use hydraulic peelers that use pressurized water. Tractors that used to pull logs to be loaded have been replaced with faster rubber-tired "skidders." Logs lumbered in Arcata were often rafted across the Bay in the early days. Later they were shipped by railroad. Then in 1955, trucks took over. Mr. Norris said that one of the biggest improvements was the chainsaw. It took the place of long, two-handled saws, and was so much faster that one man could do the work of two or three men in a day.
Mr. Norris said that logging used to be a lot more dangerous. Workers had no hard hats or earmuffs. (Mr. Norris used to put cotton in his ears.) Workers used to form their own safety committees to talk about how to protect themselves.
Mr. Norris remembers many of the names of the mills that used to be in Arcata and where they used to be. The lumber mills are a great part of Arcata's history.
Dr. Oden Hansen, Mr. Robert Goss, and Mr. S. Lee Hawkins have all been Superintendents in the Arcata School District. They came to Sunset School to talk to us about changes that have happened in our district's schools over the years.
Dr. Oden Hansen worked in the Arcata Elementary School District for 10 years, serving as Superintendent from 1952-1962. Mr. Robert Goss came to our district in
1950. He was the first principal of Sunset School and Sunnybrae School and was Superintendent from 1962 1978. Mr. S. Lee Hawkins was our Superintendent from 1983-1987. He was also Principal at Stewart School for 20 years and Principal at Sunset. Mr. Hawkins had both Mr. Goss and Dr. Hansen for bosses. (He also had Dr. Hansen as a math teacher in junior high school.)
Our speakers gave us an interesting history of how the Arcata School District has grown larger and smaller through the years. Mr. Hawkins told us that the oldest school in our district was the Arcata Grammar School. It opened in 1925 and was used for 51 years. The Arcata Grammar School was first built on 11th St., across from where Copeland Lumber now stands. Later it was rebuilt on its present site on 16th St. It was named Stewart School in 1952, in honor of Hugh B. Stewart, who was Arcata School District's first superindent.
From 1950 -1962, our district grew very quickly. By 1961, there were five schools: Bloomfield, Sunset, Sunnybrae, Manila and Stewart. There were almost 2,000 students and 69 teachers.
Then our district began to shrink. By 1981, three schools had closed, and only Sunset and Sunnybrae remained open. There were only 600 Students and 29 teachers. Bloomfield School has reopened since then, but our district is still getting smaller.
Dr. Hansen told us that our district really grew during the years that he served as Superintendent (1952- 62). He told us that the office, hallway, and the first wing of classrooms were the first part of Sunset School to be built. In 1960, the Multi-Purpose Room and the second row of rooms were added. Then a third wing was added, and Sunnybrae, Bloomfield, and Manila School were opened.
Mr. Goss told us that it was often hard to study at Sunset School when he was Principal because there was
80 much building going on. He also remembered that the year they finished the Sunnybrae gym there was a water shortage and they couldn't use their new showers that year!
All three of our past Superintendents shared some stories about what school was like when they were Principals and when they were school kids themselves. They remembered giving awards, like we do today, for good attendance, grades or sports. The said that there used to be stricter rules about what teachers and students could wear to school. Another thing that was different was that students might be punished with a paddle or the principal's "belt of knowledge" if they had been in serious trouble.
Dr. Hansen, Mr. Goss and Mr. Hawkins remembered that when they were going to schools, girls and boys had separate entrances. There were hall monitors who gave students "tickets" if they were not walking in the hallways properly. When the recess bell rang to come in, the students would line up in the school basement and march in to class when they heard the teacher begin playing the piano. Mr. Goss remembered being allowed to run the Victrola that was played instead of a piano at his school. He also remembered that when he was in high school, girls wore long green dress uniforms that had white collars.
Our speakers had several funny stories to tell about things that happened while they worked in our district. Mr. Hawkins told us that one day he was talking about some private things to some people in the workroom, when he heard giggling coming from the waste basket. He looked in and found a little boy hiding there. Dr. Goss told a story about a snake. One day, a boy came up and said hello to Mr. Goss. Then the boy stuck a snake in Mr. Goss's face! He also told us that one day he got a phone call from a Mr. Linzer, who owned a grocery store near a
school bus stop. Mr. Linzer was mad because some school kids had helped themselves to bananas that had been delivered to Mr. Linzer's store and left on the sidewalk before the store opened.
Altogether, Dr. Hansen, Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Goss have worked in the schools for 107 years. All three agreed that the best part of working in schools was getting to know all of the students and watching them grow up.
1. Boys and girls shall file into classroom in separate lines and be seated quietly on opposite sides of the room.
2. Boys shall remove their caps when entering.
3. Children must sit up straight at all times.
4. Children must not squirm, fidget or whine.
5. Children must be clean and tidy in clothing.
6. There will be an inspection of neck, ears and fingernails prior to class to ensure cleanliness of person.
7. Young ladies must never show a bare ankle; girls' and boys' clothing should cover arms and legs completely.
1. Give minutes tardy in the morning = 1 hours after school.
2. Double assignemnts if homework is not done.
3. Nothing shall be dipped into inkwells except pens.
4. Children who are caught writing with their left hand = 1 ruler rap on the knuckles.
5. Do not speak unless spoken to by the teacher. Talking in class = 1 whack with rod.
6. Nothing shall be thrown in class. Such behavior = 5 whacks.
7. Chewing of tobacco or spitting = 7 whacks.
8. Speaking immoral language = suspension.
9. Carving on desks or defacing school property = expulsion.
10. Fighting, lying, or cheating = expulsion.
ONLY WELL MANNERED CHILDREN MAY ATTEND SCHOOL
REMEMBER: EDUCATION IS A PRIVILEGE.
A few of our historians. . .
Monica Hadley, columnist and former owner of the Arcata Union.
Cheryl Seidner, 3/4 Wiyot lndian shared Indian baskets, necklaces and stories
about the Wiyots.
Lois Ris1ing, Director of H.S.U. ITEP,Hupa Tribe Member
Rebecca Howard told how archaeologists help uncover the early history the Indians.
Betty Eosterman, shared the history of the Arcata Police Department and what it was like growing up as the daughter of an Arcata Police Chief.
Archie Bernardi, retired Fire Chief, is still very active with the Arcata Volunteer Fire Department.
Wally Appleton, whose wife is a descendant of A. Brizard, talked about how Brizard
helped to develop Arcata's early business.
Marino Sichi, came from Italy as a child and grew up to become active in Arcata's business and social community.
Patti Hawkes, President of Sunset School's P.T.A. from 1955-57, shared what it was like to grow up in Arcata.
Bill Norris, who started his own lumber mill in 1946, talked about how lumber mills have changed over the years.
S. Lee Hawkins, Bob Goss, and Dr. Oden Hansen all served as Superintendents in the Arcata School District.
Some Potent Facts
In order to condense or summarize the most telling points in favor of Humboldt County as a place of permanent abode, we recapitulate briefly some of the special advantages:
Great extent, affording room and choice of location.
Equable temperature, insuring bodily comfort.
Healthfulness, especially absence of fevers and malaria.
Diversity of products, giving variety of choice in occupation.
Abundant rainfall, guaranteeing crops, and providing pure water.
Great natural resources, making the balance of trade always in favor of the county, and preventing depression and the extreme pinch of hard times.
Cheap lumber, permitting the residents to build and improve at much less cost than in most sections.
Abundant and cheap fuel, offering to every man firewood simply for the labor of taking it.
Good schools in every part of the county, within reach of every home.
A population derived from all parts of the American Continent and Europe, providing the experience and wisdom of man lands.
No Chinamen to compete with American labor and drain the country of money.
No irrigation, with expensive water rights, reser-
voirs, flumes, ditches and litigation.
No Spanish grants to bar settlement, or ancient land claims to deprive the settler of vested rights.
No land grant to any railroad to interfere with individual or community progress.
No codling moth to destroy the apples. No Colorado beetle to destroy the potatoes. No sudden change of season to kill the grain. No summer storms to destroy tender products or interfere with harvests. No long winter when stock must be fed off the accumulations of summer. No expensive cellars to keep out frosts. No tight, unwholesome rooms to shut in heat, but rather open doors and pure air, nature's remedy for the ailing.
Cheap lands are offered in abundance. Good wages are paid to the working man-in cash every month.
Humboldt never had a bank failure, never had a scarcity of money, never had a crop failure.
Humboldt supplies its own lumber, its own fuel, its own food, wool to make its own clothing, leather for its own shoes, and might sustain itself more independently without the external aid than could the thirteen original states when they formed the Constitution of the United States.
Humboldt has a population of only about seven to a square mile, and it can provide for ten times as many without unduly taxing its resources. It has no cyclones, few tramps, little poverty, and never lost a dollar by dishonest officials.