The Guest Property Museum
As we traveled south from Arcata, California, on SR 101 I saw a small city correct on the ocean named Ft. Bragg on our map. It seemed like an spot that wasn’t seriously traveled and I was surely suitable. Even so, finding to and from Ft. Bragg proved to be a challenge. We had to journey down a twisting, winding two-lane freeway with turns so sharp that we found our fifth wheel tracking into the oncoming lane on various instances. Thankfully for us and other people on the road we rarely saw an oncoming car or truck. Right after we obtained into the town we uncovered a charming very little trailer park that was tucked into a minor bay appropriate throughout from the ocean. Immediately after settling in we started off seeking about and I observed a genuinely pretty aged Victorian Mansion in the middle of city. There was a indicator indicating it was The Guest House Museum. It was sponsored by the Mendocino Coastline Historic Society. The Visitor House Museum features people an overview of the history of the Mendocino Coast. The a few-story Victorian construction that homes the Museum is by itself a striking remnant of that record. Created in 1892, the residence occupies what prior to the Civil War had been the web page of the Fort Bragg military article clinic. The publish was recognized in 1857 “for the advantage and protection of the Indians.”
It was the California Gold Rush that initial stimulated settlement of the Mendocino Coastline–not for gold, as there was none below, but for the area’s majestic redwood forests, which would offer the lumber to develop San Francisco and quite a few other Gold Rush-period communities. (San Francisco would be rebuilt with north coastline lumber adhering to the fantastic earthquake of 1906, which destroyed or wrecked metropolitan areas and cities from Monterey to Eureka, such as Fort Bragg.)
Substantially of the early heritage was shaped by bold lumbermen from New England and the Higher Midwest who had been drawn to the Mendocino Coastline by the guarantee of new prosperity. Among them was Charles Russell Johnson (1859-1940), recognized familiarly as “CR,” who 1st arrived on the Coastline as a young male in 1882. Within a ten years he had grow to be a notable mill proprietor, Fort Bragg’s founding mayor (1889), and an exemplar of Victorian-period lumber barons who affected almost each individual facet of day by day daily life in their communities.
Johnson was the founder of the Fort Bragg Redwood Firm in 1885 which turned the Union Lumber Organization in 1891 by means of a merger of his possess enterprise with the neighboring Noyo River business of W.P. Plummer and C.L. White.
He had successfully set up himself on the Mendocino Coastline with the financial backing of his father and two of his father’s Michigan business associates. With the elder Johnson as Union Lumber’s nominal president, “CR” expanded logging and milling operations into a veritable relatives empire that quickly dominated lifestyle in Fort Bragg and its environs.
“C.R.” Johnson was understandably proud of his many exploits and like other profitable entrepreneurs of his working day, he sought to show them conspicuously. This impressive Victorian property which dominates downtown Fort Bragg reflects that delight. It preserves one thing of Johnson’s character and stands as a public reminder of his placement in the group. Made as a guest household for good friends, customers and company associates, it also delivered lodging for “CR” every time corporation company or vacations introduced him to city from the Union Lumbers Firm’s San Francisco workplace.
The Visitor Residence served as a exhibit spot for Union Lumber wooden goods. It was created from the best aged-growth redwood and Douglas fir and contained 67,000 board feet of lumber. Guests will be struck by the ornate woodwork, notably the ornamental moldings, door and window trim, and the spool, spindle banisters of the staircase. Also noteworthy are the stained glass home windows earlier mentioned the stairway’s to start with landing. Amazing as well, is the interior spaciousness of the dwelling produced by its twelve feet high ceilings – aesthetically pleasing by Victorian benchmarks but not really simple for housekeeping or heating.
At first the Guest House contained 7 fireplaces, but the 1906 earthquake and installation of a more modern day heating method has reduced that variety to three. When 1st done, all bedrooms in the house experienced very hot and cold working drinking water and every area apart from the kitchen area experienced electric powered lights. There was a discreetly concealed moist bar on the very first ground and a large billiard room on the 3rd ground where male company could smoke and schmooze in personal.
Our trip by way of the Museum and into Mendocino Coast’s colorful previous was truly excellent. The good thing is, our excursion out of Ft. Bragg to Napa was a whole lot less complicated than our journey in.
Fantastic Luck! Have Enjoyable! and Keep Harmless!
-Laura
www.rvtravelog.com/ftbragg.dir/ftbragg1.htm
Posted by Hotash on 2009-02-17 18:27:48
Tagged: , fort , bragg , historic , site , logging , historical past , mendocino , county , california , zipcode95437 , 95437 , household , museum , http://www.mcn.org/ed/cur/liv/ind/mark/kell.htm , february , 2009 , guest
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