Arcata Boardwalk and Other Things, c. 1930

Please click on the photo to enjoy the details

Source: HSU Special Collection: Palmquist/Yale [2012.02.0179]

New York Public Library-Historic Photos

New York Public Library-Civil War Collection

Check out the New York Public Library Collection on Flickr

These aren’t us, but they are amazing. This site holds a wonderful and varied collection of historic photos. Some of the portraits featuring immigrants in their native dress (down the page in the Ellis Island Collection) are especially interesting.

 

 

Carson Block – Then and Stucco and Now

Please click on the photos to enlarge and see details.

1892.12.23: Daily Humboldt Times (Humboldt County Library)

1904- Souvenir Photo (Humboldt County Library)

Humboldt County Historical Society

Humboldt County Historical Society

NCIDC Collection

NCIDC Collection

North Coast Journal, January 2016

Fortuna’s Love of Cars Continues …

Source: County of Humboldt Collection

Shoot, this may be one of my favorite photos–there are so many fantastic details.

PLEASE click to enlarge and you’ll notice the Fortuna Theater, playing When a Man’s a Man, on the left  and that the town loved cars long before this weekend’s Auto Xpo.

Check out the billboards on the left. Looks like they also had two fueling stations, tire shop AND a garage/repair shop.  And is that a Chevy Dealership on the left?

Check out the AutoExpo down in Fortuna this weekend and you may see some of these very same cars cruising Main Street.

Arcata’s H Street 100 Years Ago

Please click to enlarge and enjoy the lovely detail.

Tin Can Mailman building on the right, Minor Theater on the left, 1913

HSU Special Collection: 1999.07.0008

 

 

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