Good for one bit in trade

A few weeks ago I was able to share great photos of  Bob G’s Mudgett saloon token from Fortuna. Tokens were used by various businesses and Bob has built quite a collection. 

Some of Bob’s tokens and an overview of some uses  can be found  HERE on his Facebook page.

Many, like this one,  

Alton House Token, c 1888

Alton House token, c. 1888

are also posted HERE on tokencatelog.com . 

He suggests you click on California, then select any of our local towns such as Alton, Fortuna, Arcata, or Ferndale to see more local tokens. You’ll find over 200 from Eureka alone

Thanks for sharing, Bob !

100 year old photos from India

One of the cool features of WordPress is the “referrers” list, which shows how visitors found their way to this blog.

This morning I clicked one of the referrers and found this incredible collection of 100-year-old photos from India.

This really isn’t related to Thanksgiving (happy holidays, by the way) but India.  Indians.  Pilgrims.  Nah, no connection.

They’re just great photos.

Enjoy.

Fernbridge, 1915 flood

Fernbridge

Fernbridge, c 1911

 

“]

Fernbridge, c. 1912

[/source]

 

Fernbridge, Feb 2, 1915

I apologize for the glitchy format/caption  issues (please ignore/forgive).

~L

Building Fernbridge in 1911

When this 1320-foot bridge was built in 1911, it was referred to as the world’s largest all-concrete span. Also called Eel River Bridge, Fernbridge is listed on the National Historic Register for its engineering significance during the period of 1900 to 1924. The Eel River has both State (1972) and Federal (1981) Wild and Scenic River status. [Source: USGS]

“]

Construction of Fernbridge, c. 1911 ;photographer:Keir



“]

Fernbridge, Sept. 1912; Source: Palmquist



Blue Lake Post Office and “Stage”, c 1916

Blue Lake, c. 1916

Old Bike Store in Arcata

It is amazing to me how much cars have changed and how little bicycles have…

That is a calendar on the right, but I can’t quite read it.

[As always, keep clicking on the image to enlarge]

Mudgett Bar Token, c. 1900

Mudgett Token, c. 1900

I received these fantastic photos from Bob G. as a follow-up to yesterday’s post and they came with the following.  

Thanks Bob !!!

Lynette
Attached is Decatur Mudgett token from his saloon.
He is listed as ‘saloon keeper’ in the 1900 census.
(I like collecting tokens, a pretty obscure bit of history).
Bob

I would love to get more history on use of the tokens.  Were they given away, used instead of credit or a bar tab…?  Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Fortuna, c 1888

Fortuna, c. 1888 (Mudgett)

Because the Mudgetts and Leggs are neighbors in the census, I’m pretty sure this reflects the same neighborhood.

I didn’t want to crop any of the info, so you’ll likely need to click repeatedly to enlarge the doc.

1880 Census, Springville (Fortuna)

Copper Mine along Eel River

Copper Mine on Island Mountain, c 1910

 

I’ve never read anything about local copper mining, but Ernie has some great info on his site…

Blue Lake (the actual lake)

Blue Lake Shingle Mill (date unknown) on the shores of Blue Lake