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 25^th anniversary of establishment of the Headwaters Forest Reserve. It is offered by the Humboldt County Historical Society Free Lecture Series and the Clarke Museum.

ARCATA, Calif. – The story of Falk, a historic town and lumber mill in the Headwaters Forest Reserve, will be told in a free guided archaeology walk offered by the Bureau of Land Management, Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to noon.  Participants should meet at the Elk River Trail parking area. Registration is not required.

Rusty Goodlive, an archaeological site steward, and volunteer docent Kristi Wrigley will lead the one mile walk on the paved and accessible Elk River Trail. Participants will see the restored locomotive barn and sand shack from the townsite and discuss the historical importance of Falk to the region. Falk is an archaeological district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Goodlive resides in the north coast region. He is a retired firefighter with an interest in history and archaeology. As an archaeological site steward, he helps monitor the Falk site and explains its history to visitors.

Wrigley is a lifelong resident of the Elk River Valley. Her grandfather was the general manager of the store in Falk, and her uncle was superintendent of the Elk River Mill and Lumber Company that operated from 1905 until 1937. She is a retired surveyor who volunteers for the BLM as a Headwaters docent and archaeological stewardship consultant.

To get to the Elk River Trailhead, take the Herrick Avenue exit off Highway 101 at the southern end of Eureka and turn right on to Elk River Road. Travel 1.6 miles and take another right to stay on Elk River Road.Continue 4.2 miles to the signed parking area and trailhead.