Thought I saw a Bistrins Bag

Driving through downtown Eureka the other day I thought I spotted an old blue and gold plastic Bistrins bag dancing in the wind.  It was really just one more piece of discarded trash but it made me nostalgic for some of the old stores that just aren’t around any more.

The following comes from the Times Standard archives:    Harry Bistrin – Longtime Humboldt County residents will immediately recognize the name “Bistrin.” Bistrin and his brother Herman owned and operated 23 retail clothing stores known as “Meyer Bistrins,” carrying on a family business that his parents, Lily and Aaron Bistrin, started in Eureka just six months after his birth in 1927. After retirement, Bistrin served as a top aide to state Sen. Barry Keene and district representative for state legislators Virginia Strom-Martin, Patty Berg and others. He died May 19 at the age of 83.

I’ll attach more Bistrin info at the of the post, but here is Fortuna’s Meyer Bistrins on the left (photo credit to Hans Koster of sunnyfortuna.com.  He actually dug this one up for me by request. Thanks Hans !) Oh, and I just noticed Bon Boniere FOUNTAIN on the right…

And to add to my list of serendipitous history happenings:

I finished a first draft of this post early last week and then stopped at a yard sale last Friday where I found this:

I am sure the woman manning the sale thought I was crazy to want it but I just couldn’t resist.

Times Standard Obituary for Harry Bistrin

Harry Bistrin died in his sleep early Thursday, May 19, 2011, at age 83 in Eureka, where he grew up and lived until moving to the Ukiah Valley more than 20 years ago.

Penny Postcard Photos from Humboldt and…

This wonderful site link comes to us from Tina Nerat.

You’ll find commercial buildings, residential neighborhoods and all kinds of fun photos.

Thanks so much Tina!

Penny Postcards

Little River Redwood Co., Crannell c.1930

Little River Redwood Co. 1930

My husband and I were recently in the Logger Bar in Blue Lake.

Visitors will see many of these logging implements on the walls, as well as some great old photos.

Founding of the Klamath (now Yurok) Indian Reservation, 1855

   

Klamath Modoc Indians, 1860

  

Hello everyone,

To those who enjoy regular posts I must apologize.  Work and … life have gotten the better of me lately.  Hopefully I’ll get back into regular postings.

I do want to keep on the thread/topic of Lucy and plan to continue discussing her limited options and the dangers she and her children faced during the settlement period.  The focus of the next (this) post was going to be the risks inherant to those on reservations but… but, as often happens with me, I’ve gotten distracted.  Sort of.

Looking through my notes regarding reservations I found the following, which discusses the founding of the Klamath (which is now the Yurok) Indian reservation.  It may be dry reading for some, but I chose not to edit any of it.

It was very surprising …. well, Please also be sure to catch the newspaper editor’s response to the founding of the reservation which follows the letters–his perspective is very different from how reservations are viewed today.

Klamath River Reserve.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Office of Indian Affairs, November 10, 1855.

SIR: Referring to your communication of the 8th of August last to the Acting Commissioner of Indian Affairs, advising him of the approval by the President of the United States of the recommendation of the Department that it was expedient to expend the money appropriated on the 3rd of March last for removing the Indians in California to two additional military reservations, I have the honor now to make the following report:

Petrolia post 1906 Earthquake

(near?) Petrolia Hotel, 1906 earthquake

If you keep clicking you’ll notice the house is broken (and the little girl- adorable)…

Hoopa Indian House, c. 1899

 

Hoopa, 1899

This home looks abandoned to me.

Lost Coast in 1906

Lost Coast, 1906

White Deerskin Dance

White Deerskin Dance

Very rarely (but sometimes) it feels like a subject in a photo crosses time to connect to the present day.  To us.  This is one of those photos.

What must that young man be thinking about the (most likely white) photographer there to capture one of his community’s sacred events… (keep clicking on the photo to enlarge and you will see what I’m talking about)

Fortuna Auto Park (and) The Story of the Fortunate Little Unfortunate

Fortuna Auto Park (sunnyfortuna.com)

 

This photo came from the Sunny Fortuna website , which was put together by Hans Koster and contains many, MANY wonderful historic photos (Warning, the sunnyfortuna.com site is truly addictive if you enjoy old photos) .

Some may remember Hans as the source of the story of the  Fortunate Little Unfortunate.

Find A Grave And Information

My ancestors, photo courtesy of Wes Keat and Debbie Davis

When I was eleven years old, I met Tom Hawbaker .  Our parents were friends, enjoying bar-b-cues and game nights,  and Tom and I were stuck together.  Fortunately we shared a fondness for Stephen King books and philosophical conversations.  Oh, and cemeteries.  I think hanging out among the dead was where we really bonded.

Seems were weren’t alone in our affection for graveyards.

My new friend and co-worker,  Wes Keat,  is an amazing researcher and genealogist.  He also surveys local cemeteries and takes photos of the markers.  He then uploads them to findagrave.com where descendants all over the world can “virtually” visit their ancestors and learn more about them from the information inscribed on grey marble and concrete slabs.

Wes also helps connect folks like me with other find-a-grave volunteers living elsewhere, so that we can see the graves of our ancestors buried long ago in far off places (like the one above in New Jersey).

Wes is generously allowing me to share his email: weskeat@prodigy.net.  He’s inviting folks to get in touch if they want help finding an ancestor’s grave.  He will also continue to survey the local cemeteries as time and weather permits and if you know of any tiny, tucked away cemetery he can photograph (or even better, family cemeteries on private land), please let him know. 

~L