The Clarke Reopens with ’64 Flood and Indigenous Artifacts Exhibits and a Members-Only Sneak Peek

Press release from the Clarke Museum:

Attention, members of the Clarke Museum! While the Clarke will officially open its doors for 2023 on Saturday, February 4th, at 11 am, and for Arts Alive from 6-9 pm that evening, Museum members are invited to an exclusive sneak peek preview of our new exhibits on February 3rd from 5 to 7 pm.

The new main hall exhibit focuses on the Christmas Flood of 1964 – one of the most devastating events in Humboldt County history – and its impact on the Pacific Northwest. Members attending the preview event will hear from guest speakers about their personal experiences, including Jennifer Bell, who made the documentary High Water Mark about the flood; Eric Hollenbeck, the founder of Blue Ox Mill; and Frank Lovio, a former employee of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad and former resident of South Fork.

Baskets in the Birthing Traditions display [Photo by Dana Fredsti]

There are also three exciting new Indigenous artifacts exhibits in Nealis Hall: Fishing Rights, Birthing Traditions, and Pre-1900 Baskets from the Hover Collection. And as a special Valentine’s Day bonus, our new mini-exhibit in the Emmerson Room (aka the Victorian Room) will reveal an under-the-garments look at how Victorian women created their hourglass silhouettes!

Stories of the “1000-Year Flood” abound

    Residents of Humboldt in the 1960s were no strangers to strong weather fronts and flooding. Many knew that low-lying infrastructure, including communities, the highway system, and railroad grade, were built well below the high-water mark of previous floods. Yet no one believed a future storm could be worse than the 1955 flood, which wiped out entire towns like Elinor and Dyerville along the Eel River. As we know now, those assumptions were sadly misplaced.

     Physical reminders of the devastation remain throughout the county and can be seen in various natural and manufactured markers today. Many current residents and visitors have likely seen the high watermark signage on the Avenue of the Giants in Weott showing that a 35’ wall of water, silt, and debris cascaded through the Eel River Valley! Many individual records of living through the disaster have been lost to time, but we will never forget the sum of their stories.

Cover of 1964 Flood Disaster! A book of photos covering the flood. [No artist credit given]

Humboldt County was effectively cut off in all directions by highway closures and bridge washouts. The subsequent relief efforts after the flood can only be described as Herculean, involving the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, Army, Air Force, Red Cross, and Boy Scouts. The multi-year period of recovery was only possible due to the diligent efforts of those who sought to rebuild. One survivor, Bill Lynch, recalled that “we had a group from Weott and, let me tell you, when you’ve got people that want to work, you can’t stop them. Give them what they need and get out of their way. Especially the lumber guys!”

    Join us on Friday if you’re a member (you can join at the event or ahead of time on the museum website at www.clarkemuseum.org/membership.html) or at any time over the next three months to learn more about this and other fascinating aspects of Northwest Californian history.