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. — Falk, a historic town and lumber mill site nestled in the Bureau of Land Management Headwaters Forest Reserve, has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Listed officially as the Falk Archaeological District, the designation recognizes the site as an area of national significance and worthy of preservation. Remnants of the townsite are visible and marked with interpretive signs along the first half-mile of the Elk River Trail. The most impressive remnant is a fully restored locomotive barn that now serves as an education center.

Archaeological investigations conducted by Humbolt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) over 14 years yielded the information that led to approval by the National Park Service, which oversees the National Register of Historic Places, for the Falk listing.

“Credit also goes to our staff and Friends of Headwaters who have found creative ways to explain the history of Falk through interpretation and restoration,” said Collin Ewing, manager of the BLM Arcata Field Office which oversees the Reserve. “Signs highlighting town remnants make it possible for visitors to visualize life in Falk.”

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. Falk had housing for workers, supported work camps and featured infrastructure, including a mill pond, to keep the lumber operation going. After work stopped, the site fell into decline and decay. The property owners razed the buildings in the 1960s due to safety concerns.

The Reserve was established in 1999, after the BLM and California State Wildlife Conservation Board purchased the 7,400-acre Headwaters Forest. Information on access can be found online.