Archaeology and preservation of Falk townsite subject of free presentation
ARCATA, Calif. – The history, archaeological record and ongoing preservation efforts at the Falk townsite in the Bureau of Land Management Headwaters Forest Reserve will be topics of a free presentation, Saturday, Oct. 5, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the Clarke Museum, 240 E St., in Eureka.
Speakers Julie Clark and James Roscoe will discuss how the town and lumber mill fit into the history of Humboldt County and how an archaeological inventory of the site led to it’s listing in 2023 in the National Register of Historic Places.
Clark worked extensively as a Bureau of Land Management park ranger in the Headwaters Forest Reserve and wrote “Falk: Lumber Company Town of the American West,” a book detailing life in Falk, a once thriving logging and lumber mill town. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt).
Roscoe, former president of the Humboldt County Historical Society, conducted an archaeological field study and inventory of Falk with Humboldt State University that led to the listing of the site on the National Register. He holds a master’s degree in cultural resource management and archaeology, and formerly directed the HSU Cultural Resources Facility. His is a lifelong Humboldt County resident.
Falk was a busy logging and mill town from 1884 to 1937. Workers toiled deep in the now-protected redwood stands, felling trees, shipping them on Falk’s very own railroad to the mill, and finally sending the lumber to worldwide markets via a port at present day Eureka.
The presentation is one of a year-long series of events chronicling the 25th anniversary of establishment of the Headwaters Forest Reserve. It is offered by the Humboldt County Historical Society Free Lecture Series and the Clarke Museum.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.