#89. Lynette Mullen : The Red Light District That Built a City--Exploring Humboldt's Forgotten Women

Behind the ornate Victorian facades of Old Town Eureka lies a shadow world of untold stories—tales of remarkable women who wielded significant economic power yet remain absent from our history books. Local historian Lynette Mullen stumbled upon this hidden narrative during the pandemic while researching an empty parking lot on Eureka's waterfront, uncovering the story of a chambermaid named Virginia Jeffrey that would forever change her understanding of our community's foundations.

What began as casual research evolved into a passionate quest to document how women working in Eureka's "necessary evil"—its red light district—literally helped build the city we know today. These women, erased from historical record despite their contributions, financed iconic buildings that still stand. As Mullen explains with palpable enthusiasm, Eureka made a strategic decision in the 1800s to tacitly permit these establishments while other towns like Ferndale drove them out. By the early 1900s, when Eureka faced financial troubles, the city implemented an unofficial tax system on brothels, even issuing business licenses for women to legally sell cigars and candy within otherwise illegal establishments.

Mullen brings these stories to life through her walking tours, "The Lower Levels" and "The Wicked Waterfront," guiding visitors through the physical spaces where this history unfolded—from the site of the former Scandia Hotel to the blocks between C and D Streets that constituted Eureka's own version of the Barbary Coast. Her research extends beyond the women themselves to colorful characters like "Coffee Jack" Connor, an infamous crimp who tricked sailors into debt and indentured servitude, operating right from what is now Old Town.

Experience Eureka with new eyes by exploring the history beneath your feet. Book a tour at thelowerlevels.com and discover how our understanding of who built this community has been incomplete without these remarkable stories of resilience, entrepreneurship, and survival against incredible odds.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:30

Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, it's Scott Hammond and 100% Humboldt podcast with my new best friend, lynette Mullins. Hi, Lynette. Good afternoon, scott, how are you?

Speaker 2 0:40

I'm very well, thank you. How are you?

Speaker 1 0:42

I'm well. It's good to see you. I'm a little tired. I'm jet lagged. We were in Amsterdam and then London for two weeks. They made us go. Yeah, I'd try to feel sorry for you about that one, but it'd be a stretch.

Speaker 2 1:09

Yeah, I'll recover. Another night's sleep is what I need. But we're all good, it's good. How many minutes. So I was actually born in Long Beach. Early years, early 70s, was spent in LA, but my parents moved up here. When I was a kid they bought a small business in Fortuna, so we lived for a year in Ferndale while they built a house in Rio Del.

Speaker 2 1:29

So, I actually grew up in Rio Del, which kind of a dubious reputation, but gorgeous, gorgeous location for a town. We were right above the river, spent my summers. You know, it was kind of childhood you leave in the morning, get back before dark, so it was pretty sweet.

Speaker 1 1:43

Yeah, and the day I bet it was beautiful.

Speaker 2 1:45

Oh my gosh. Yeah, I think you gain about 10 degrees with every you know, from Eureka to Fortuna Fortuna to Maria Del was gorgeous, but Eureka to Fortuna Fortuna to Ria de Al was gorgeous.

Speaker 1 1:52

But it's some big percentage of less fog.

Speaker 2 1:54

Yes, and even when it was foggy, it was this low kind of ground fog that was beautiful.

Speaker 1 1:59

So did you go to school down at Fortuna High?

Speaker 2 2:02

I did, wow, I had to ride the bus which I was not very fond of, but I enjoyed being in Fortuna. Actually, I just saw there was just something online about them trying to save the Fortuna Theater. Oh, and I joined that Facebook group and had to say why I was interested, and it's like because I spent my childhood there.

Speaker 1 2:20

Right, that was your movie house Watching movies, yeah, is that a nice theater? I've never been in some it was.

Speaker 2 2:25

I don't know how it is now, but it was lovely when I was a kid, I mean.

Speaker 1 2:28

I don't know that.

Speaker 2 2:29

I'd and a very good judge, but it was a nice place.

Speaker 1 2:32

It worked. That's where all the first straight movies went. Remember the?

Speaker 2 2:36

Oh.

Speaker 1 2:36

Remember the theater out at Indianola State? Yeah.

Speaker 2 2:39

Oh yeah, With the drive-in event.

Speaker 1 2:41

There's a drive-in and then there's the multiplex. Yes, I do remember I saw Star Wars there.

Speaker 2 2:46

Yes, yes.

Speaker 1 2:46

Gosh and that's all. Yeah, Anyway, movies. We just got Mill Creek closed up in McKinleyville. That was due when my kids were young and now it's gone.

Speaker 2 2:59

Yeah, anyway.

Speaker 1 3:00

We're losing them. So did you go to Humboldt?

Speaker 2 3:02

I did. I went to College of the Redwoods, took a break for a while, had my children, and then went back to Humboldt and got a degree in business In business, good business school, indeed, indeed, yeah which I didn't actually know until I was going there. Oh, yeah. Yeah, small class sizes. The professors were great, really involved. I actually really enjoyed it and it's kind of cool as an entrepreneur that I actually in some way am using my business education.

Speaker 1 3:25

Of course you are. Yeah, I think it's the most versatile way to go. Yes, I love the business program up there. What year did you graduate From? I?

Speaker 2 3:33

love the business program up there. What year did you graduate From Humboldt? Yeah, I have. I don't. I'd have to think. I don't think in terms of years. Usually I think about when I'm trying to figure out a time at some other significant event, or how old my kids were. So, it was a while ago. We'll just go with that.

Speaker 1 3:46

That's how my wife Joni does it. Well, michaela was seven years old when that happened. Yes, old when that I go. Yes, you date. Okay, there's carbon dating and there's kid dating anyway. So well, welcome. Tell me more about, uh, what? What do you do now? Uh, what have you done since Humboldt till till kind of now?

Speaker 2 4:04

well, that's a lot of years, so I'm not going to dive into a lot of detail there. Um, I did end up kind of evolving um into uh, working for myself myself as an independent project manager. I will say, the longest I've ever held a real job is two and a half years in my life, which used to make me flaky but now makes me versatile. I know a little bit about a lot of things, basically, but I do like to get things done, and so project management turned into a really good fit for me and then it ended up being primarily in economic and workforce development, though in the last few years I have done a lot of community outreach and engagement. Just again, because I've been here forever and because I've only held on to a real job for a short period of time, I've done a lot of things and met a lot of people. Sure, again, it's become an asset when it might not have been initially.

Speaker 1 4:56

I like that. That's a great way to look at it. So you know a lot of people.

Speaker 2 4:59

I do, you don't know everybody.

Speaker 1 5:00

You know every other buddy.

Speaker 2 5:07

Not even that many, but I know enough to be effective enough in the client stuff. And then I'm also you want to hear about the other hat.

Speaker 2 5:11

I wear Sure hat. I wear that eventually I want to wear all day, every day. I am a local historian. So yeah, and early on I was really focused on the settlement period you know with, I will say, invasion, basically of the pioneers coming into this area and all of that dynamic and what happened there. But since COVID my focus has changed quite a bit and I've really been focused on another area for the last five years now.

Speaker 1 5:39

Oh, what pray tell.

Speaker 2 5:40

Well it started with. So I have a history blog and during COVID, working at home, I had some time on my hands and I'm not historic architecture dork. I would find an old building, go home, research it and then post something. If there was anything interesting to post, you know what happened in this building 100 years ago, or why was it built, or whatever. And so I was in an old town.

Speaker 2 6:06

I was walking on the waterfront looking at that big old parking lot that's against the water, from C Street East, so that you know the market there where everybody parks for Arts Alive, and I'm looking at it going. Well, something must have been here. And I went home, looked it up, found a reference map that indicated the Scandia Hotel was on that lot. So I looked up and there's a lot of newspapers that are archived online Looked it up and found a news article about a woman named Virginia Jeffrey who, in the early 20th century, was working as a chambermaid at the Scandia Hotel because her husband had left her and she was raising her six children on her own. Wow, and so she's working as a maid in the Scandia when the two owners tried to force her into a life of shame.

Speaker 1 6:56

Uh-huh. And I went Meaning prostitution Exactly.

Speaker 2 7:01

And I had, you know, growing up here it's a lot of folks that have been in the area a long time probably have heard references to Eureka's Red Light District kind of permissive attitude and that sort of thing, but I as a historian I'd still never really thought about it or looked into it. But after finding that story I started researching more Again COVID time on my hands and ended up uncovering a million stories about these women that really played a very I'm finding, the more I look into it an incredibly significant role in the history of our community. The building, literally the building of Eureka. And yet nobody knows them. You know. Nobody knows who they were. We see, you know names on streets and on buildings. Right, like a lot of people know the Weaver building. Weaver's name is on the building. He and his wife ran brothels. Nobody knows the names of the women who supplied the money that ended up being Weaver's building, but these women, they were significant. A lot happened. It's this whole kind of underground world that I have dove into.

Speaker 1 8:13

Wow, yeah, we could name names.

Speaker 2 8:17

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 8:17

No, absolutely.

Speaker 2 8:18

Yeah, they were absolutely there. I mean, and some of these women you know, some unfortunately grew up here and because of family circumstances, women had so few opportunities, especially in the, the 1800s, that if they didn't marry like they were supposed to or if their marriage went badly which happened a lot, you know women were deserted or men were violent or they were widowed. You know, especially up here with logging jobs and people on the ocean, that a lot of women ended up alone and couldn't necessarily through legal means, that a lot of women ended up alone and couldn't necessarily through legal means support themselves or children or elderly parents. So a lot of these women ended up in that profession which was, if on paper, illegal In Eureka and in other towns too. Eureka wasn't alone in this.

Speaker 2 9:10

But it was not just here, but basically that that particular profession was considered by many to be a necessary evil, and so women were allowed to practice as long as you didn't see them in polite society, as long as they weren't disruptive Interesting.

Speaker 1 9:26

So it's yes. What did they call those open cities?

Speaker 2 9:29

They would call they used to early on. They didn't. I mean, I think there has been, and the term's escaping me. I know what you're talking about.

Speaker 1 9:38

There's like five cities until 1950s, early 50s. Somebody said on the show once oh yeah. We were amongst the last cities to be shut down on that.

From Business Degree to Independent Projects

Speaker 2 9:54

Well, the military, I mean that's a whole other thing that I haven't gotten into much, but it was, even though it's been illegal by state law since the 1850s, like it's been illegal and it's been illegal in Eureka. It was allowed in many communities and it wasn't. I think World War II sorry World War I was the first time that the government, federal government, came in and shut down brothels because there were more soldiers missing. Comment sorry conflict were missing.

Speaker 2 10:20

Combat due to social illnesses interesting, rather than injuries interesting and so the military felt like they had to do something about that that's?

Speaker 1 10:30

I've never heard that. That's uh, wow. So the scandia hotel is that where Dick, between Dick Taylor and Jack's seafoot.

Speaker 2 10:37

Yeah, it's actually. It's just to the west of Dick Taylor, so towards, towards the. Toward the bay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 10:43

So it's set right on the bay.

Speaker 2 10:45

Yeah, well, on that side of First Street there, but that wasn't, I mean that was, there were scattered places, but we actually and this was something I wasn't aware of Eureka kind of had its own Barbary Coast. You know that was dedicated to saloons and brothels and had shootouts and you know just all of that sort of stuff.

Speaker 1 11:06

Guns like open carry.

Speaker 2 11:07

Like literally, well, oh yeah, no, all the time People are being shot all the time. But the actual kind of district, our lower district, was over by, if people are familiar with Eureka the shanty. So third street between C and D Street and then pushed up towards the co-op. And if people are in Old.

Speaker 2 11:27

Town. It's kind of fun If you imagine stepping off the steamer into Eureka, say at the foot of F Street right, and you can picture the buildings down there. Now even We've got the waterfront, you know. It's a beautiful, ornate building. A couple of other, the Janssen building I can't remember the names of all those, but nicer buildings right.

Speaker 2 11:47

But if you go kind of south and west towards the co-op, things get flatter, towards the co-op, things get flatter, things get squattier and not many of the old buildings survive because they were built cheaply and they weren't meant to last forever. So even in the architecture you can kind of see where Eureka's district ended up.

Speaker 1 12:09

So you invented the walking tour in old times.

Speaker 2 12:12

Yes, yes.

Speaker 1 12:13

That's cool. That's been going for a while, right.

Speaker 2 12:14

Yeah, no, no, no, I've only done a couple and I'm just kind of revising the route and splitting it up, quite frankly. So what I realized in doing the tour is, while some folks really are interested in these ladies and the lives they led and the challenges that they had, maybe other people not so much, but they're still interested in kind of the underbelly, the history of the underbelly of Eureka. So I'm actually doing two tours. One is called the Wicked Waterfront. That's more focused on the rogues. Like we had just to give an example and I've just learned this term we had a crimp, a nationally known crimp, and I was like what is a crimp? What's a crimp? What is a crimp? So crimps were in the 1800s. There were people that ran boarding houses specifically for sailors and sailors would go to the boarding house, they'd stay there, they would eat, you know they. They would wait for ships to come in and then the boarding house master would connect with ship captains as they came in and connect the two, the sailors with the captains, looking for crew. Oh, wow.

Speaker 2 13:24

So in theory it sounds lovely, right.

Speaker 1 13:25

Right.

Speaker 2 13:26

Kind of like an unofficial employment office matchmaking sort of thing. The problem with people like Jack Connor, who ended up building his place and it may be the original building I'm still working on it, but the 707 Bar, so picture 1st and C Street there, Jack ended up building that place. He was known as Coffee Jack.

Speaker 1 13:44

Used to be Sam and Dave's or whatever.

Speaker 2 13:45

Yeah, it's been Stephen Dave's. It's been. Oh gosh, it was something else before that. I can't remember Jack Connor built that, but he was a crimp before that. I can't remember Jack Connor built that but he was a crimp. So he would have a boarding house specifically catering to sailors and was the friendliest guy in the world to them. You know here's food, here's booze, here's the company of a lady. Don't worry about it, we'll take care of it later sort of thing, and then ship captains would come in and pay the sailors debt.

Speaker 1 14:13

Hilarious.

Speaker 2 14:14

And whether those sailors wanted to go or not.

Speaker 1 14:16

Now they're indentured.

Speaker 2 14:17

They were going exactly right and he was infamous for it. He also did this in San Pedro. He had a place in San Pedro as well as Eureka, and he was infamous to the point where in sailors, when the sailors unions were forming, they had magazines that would go out and try to educate these poor guys and they literally the magazines would be like never patronize Coffee Jacks, but don't even shake his hand, Stay away from him. He's a bad, bad guy.

Speaker 1 14:45

He's a slaver, he basically was yeah.

Speaker 2 14:47

And he was right here in Eureka.

Speaker 1 14:49

So they would go on a boat and go for nine months and pay their debt.

Speaker 2 14:52

Wherever they went. Well, the waiters were paid in advance.

Speaker 1 14:54

so yeah it was like you said indentured there. Yes whether they wanted to or not. Who's keeping records? The captain?

Speaker 2 15:01

Exactly right.

Speaker 1 15:02

Right.

Speaker 2 15:02

Yeah, so that's just one. You know, with these other tours, a story like that there's also moving into the 20th century. There was this story first in the San Francisco paper and then the local folks picked it up and they were indignant because the story talked about how Eureka was full of basically gullible people and that fake ears, so clairvoyants, mystics, fortune tellers, like Eureka was a great place for them to go because Eurekans were so gullible.

Speaker 1 15:32

Wow.

Speaker 2 15:32

They just hand over the money, just come on up and literally, yeah, yeah, there's so, so this, so the the local paper got very upset by this. But then, unfortunately for this young girl who was working as a servant up here in Eureka, there was a guy that came up that was supposed to be a fortune teller. Her name was Ida and she had a Finnish last name that I'm not going to say well, so I just won't say it, but she worked for a local physician, had been saving her money, clearly for years, trying to get her elderly father here from Finland, wow. And she went to this guy who is posing as Russell Dessang, I think was the name he was using up here. So she went to him and told him she wanted a husband.

Speaker 1 16:18

Oh wow.

Speaker 2 16:18

I mean she was in her late 20s working her butt off as a servant and so she was really hopeful that this guy with his magic, whatever could help. And so what he did is he told her to get she had saved like almost $800. So he told her to go to the bank Huge, I mean years literally, and I think I mean I was kind of wondering if she was a servant or a quote servant. But she was working for a local physician, so she may have just actually legally somehow earned it and saved all that money. So she goes to this guy and he takes the $500 and he ends up putting it she believes in this bag, sewing up this bag and then telling her she's got to say these words or pray over this bag for the next 10 days and then she'll have a husband.

Speaker 2 17:05

He was here long enough for her to get upset that it wasn't working and go back. So she went back to this guy and he's like, oh, need to put more money in back. So she went back to this guy and he's like, oh, you need to put more money in. So she put in like another 276 dollars or something like that. Right, so she's got seven, almost eight hundred dollars in these bags no sews them up.

Speaker 2 17:26

so she's, she's holding these bags now, right, and she can feel the money in there and she's praying over them and, and the time comes, guy is out of town, he's gone by now, right, and so she's opening up the bags and it's all just paper. Her savings is gone.

Speaker 1 17:43

And he's gone.

Speaker 2 17:44

And he's gone to.

Speaker 1 17:45

On a ship somewhere.

Discovering Eureka's Red Light District

Speaker 2 17:46

Well, he ended up going south. He ended up. This was in 1910, 1911. So he rented a car, took it back down to San Francisco and in fact snuck off and left the owner of the car, a guy from Eureka, like without paying him. So a lot of people wanted to find him. The police chief here became committed and ended up finding this guy in Ohio and brought him back and he ended up getting convicted and being sent to San Quentin.

Speaker 1 18:15

Wow.

Speaker 2 18:15

And there's more to that story, because his wife was also a con woman with kind of a similar thing and she's in San Quentin. But there's a lot of those kind of stories too that you know, take some digging, but it's all stuff that happened here.

Speaker 1 18:28

Yeah, and you got all the other stories the Indian Island story which we'll get to Chinatown right.

Speaker 2 18:36

Was there a massacre or?

Speaker 1 18:36

just ran everybody off.

Speaker 2 18:37

Yeah, there was an expulsion there and I have to say that I am not as familiar with that history as a lot of other people here, the Chinatown history, but the one thing that I did notice sorry to bring it back to the ladies, but in 1885, 1886, I think, in a lot of ways Eureka kind of resigned itself to tolerating again this kind of underground economy. But Chinatown so there were brothels in Chinatown and opium dens in Chinatown and that couldn't be accepted and so when people were complaining about vice they would very specifically talk about Chinatown, kind of ignoring the rip roaring. You know, barbary coast that we had going on a block, literally a block away. That was fine, but Chinese people were involved.

Speaker 1 19:28

What was the Barbary coast?

Speaker 2 19:29

So it the thing right. It was a thing San Francisco had one that was blocks and blocks long that was. You know it was where you went if you wanted to gamble or if you wanted to visit a woman, lots of saloons, that sort of thing Very dangerous that was. I don't have evidence that our guy here are crimp Shanghai people, but that's where people sailors would go into saloons have a drink and wake up literally on a ship to China.

Speaker 1 20:04

Wow.

Speaker 2 20:04

And what do you do? You're in the middle of the ocean.

Speaker 1 20:07

Can't jump off.

Speaker 2 20:08

You can't jump off, yeah, wow.

Speaker 1 20:10

Prison ship.

Speaker 2 20:11

Yeah, exactly right. Yeah, so the Barbary Coast was kind of infamous and that term was used in a bunch of different communities. I'm really not sure I should look into that because I'm sure other people listening know exactly where the original Barbary Coast was yeah, maybe there's a lot of versions of that.

Speaker 1 20:26

I'm sure there is. Maybe Anchorage had one up in Alaska, who knows.

Speaker 2 20:30

I would think oh yeah, no, there were definitely districts everywhere, yeah no-transcript.

Speaker 1 20:54

Oh, oh my gosh. What were the tipping points for you?

Speaker 2 20:56

That was kind of interesting. So. So I always did okay in school, um, but I would like for tests and I would. I wouldn't actually learn Like. I was far into adulthood before it occurred to me that school was for learning, because for me it was about memorizing what you needed to memorize until the test, and then you regurgitated it and then you moved on to you know, hanging with your friends or whatever. What an awful system.

Speaker 1 21:20

Isn't it just terrible? I know it's a terrible thing. Why did we do that?

Speaker 2 21:23

When it really sunk in, I was appalled. So history held no romance or allure for me because, again, facts that you memorize and regurgitate. But I ended up. My ex-husband is Native American and we were out at some family property and his grandfather was talking and his mother was talking the story that she'd found in a local kind of collection that seemed to be referring to somebody in their family, and Rich is my ex's name.

Speaker 2 22:02

Rich's grandpa said, well, no, you're talking about Daisy, and it was a Native American woman that had survived a massacre when, unfortunately, everybody else had perished. But she had survived and grown up in the Orleans area. And when my mother-in-law was talking about her, orville literally pointed at a tree and said well, her Indian name was Willow and she planted that tree. She was my grandpa's cook for years. She lived here and for me and I'm embarrassed to say it, but it was really the first time that I realized that all that history that we read is actually about real people like real people, like it, actually like it happened, versus just being this removed abstract.

Speaker 2 22:48

Yeah, it was such a strange kind of awakening for me Connected to you, yeah.

Speaker 2 22:55

Yeah, and so initially again my focus was a settlement period.

Speaker 2 23:03

I'd heard stories family stories to start with, about this history of kidnapping and indenture of Native children in California, which is supposed to be a free stay always, and the first laws in California made that absolutely untrue for the indigenous population where they could be indentured, technically enslaved for years, and Humboldt became infamous in the trafficking, especially of women and children, and acquired them for people who were looking for servants. Wow, them for people who were looking for servants. Yeah, so it was. It was this black hole that I just dove into for years. But then I was able to write a story about a woman in Arcata that was affected by this in the 1860s, was able kind of to do what I thought I could you know, at least at this point with that topic. And then you know, then I was just kind of interested in local photos, like my history blog for people that are interested, if you just Google Lynette's NorCal history, because I've literally got hundreds of photos, because when I couldn't think of anything to put on the blog I just find a photo.

Speaker 1 24:04

Put a photo up.

Speaker 2 24:05

Oh, and they're so fun. I mean, my favorite, I think, is a photo of Blue Lake street scene in Blue Lake with a pig in the middle of the street. Perfect, it's so random, but photos are fun that way. You know, if you enlarge and look deeply, there's always something interesting.

Speaker 1 24:22

And Blue Lake is fun that way.

Speaker 2 24:24

Oh, blue Lake's just yeah.

Speaker 1 24:26

Shout out to Blue Lake. Hey, Blue Lake people.

Speaker 2 24:27

Yes.

Speaker 1 24:28

Yeah, no, they're fun out there. I wonder if I could find that pig anywhere out there.

Speaker 2 24:32

Probably not anymore.

Speaker 1 24:33

I wonder if I could find that pig anywhere out there. Probably not anymore. So when I looked you up and AI told me this word that you could reframe the history of Humboldt County, I thought that's a good way to explain that. So it's a reframe of these actual people that you know. I don't know much about prostitution in Old Town. I know that it was there.

Speaker 1 24:52

I know it was really run down until the 60s, and then they put money back into it right in Old Town. I know that it was there. Yeah, I know it was really run down until the 60s and then they did all the they put money back into it right In Old Town. What's that called? It's not renovation money, it's re.

Speaker 2 25:02

Revitalizing the.

Speaker 1 25:04

Correct.

Speaker 2 25:04

Yeah, you know, and that other word with the re.

Speaker 1 25:09

Re.

Speaker 2 25:09

Something Greg Foster would know.

Speaker 1 25:11

What is it, greg? Help us. Where are you, greg, if he's?

Speaker 2 25:15

listening, he would know. But yeah, well, and I've learned a lot. I mean, even recently I really realized that this kind of implicit, not explicit, because it was illegal, think Eureka made a strategic decision in the 1800s when, like Ferndale was literally driving, literally burnt a woman out of Ferndale. In the 1890s, like Ferndale had one brothel on the hill and literally the women were like that's enough, they can come in the back. I don't have to see my husband's, my brother's, my son's going that's it, but Eureka took a different approach. Others, my son's, going that's it, but Eureka took a different approach.

Speaker 2 25:58

And in part I think it was just because, as a madam in Utah realized and actually presented to business owners when she was shut down in the early 1900s, she ended up so she was shut down. Officials shut her down. Instead of going to the officials, she went to the owner of the mine in town and was like you know, the officials have shut me down, but you realize, because I'm shut down, when your workers have a day off, they're going to travel two days to Salt Lake instead of staying here and not come back to work and not come back to here or at least lose time, Right, you know?

Speaker 2 26:30

and I think that same sort of thing here where Eureka realized they needed the sailors and the loggers and and the laborers that were living in old town you know, and if, if those men could, could visit saloons and have a drink and enjoy the company of a lady here versus going to another town town, why not, you know? Especially if they could control it and limit and kind of protect the quote. Decent and respectable people from that.

Speaker 2 27:01

And then I have to say, in the early 1900s Eureka was broke and made a very conscious decision to impose a kind of an unofficial tax on the women. That lasted for years and as long as the women paid, the women could stay in business.

Speaker 1 27:21

They could stay around.

Speaker 2 27:22

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 27:22

Wow, yeah, I guess Nevada's still that way, right?

Speaker 2 27:25

Yeah, I believe it's legal in Nevada.

Speaker 1 27:27

I think it's by county, but I don't know. It's every county.

Speaker 2 27:30

Yeah.

Speaker 1 27:31

Huh, must be taxed.

Speaker 2 27:34

I would think so. Oh yeah, I mean anything.

Speaker 1 27:36

Regulated.

Speaker 2 27:37

Yeah, and when Eureka was trying to figure it out, I mean they were to be fair to them, they were just looking at revenue streams, you know, but Eureka also, and I'm actually working on a story on this they would issue traders licenses to these women so that they could legally sell, say, cigars and candy bars in the brothels, literally like. I have the records.

Speaker 1 27:58

The city was issuing business licenses to these women so that they could do that yeah.

Speaker 2 28:03

Legally.

Speaker 1 28:04

Yeah.

Speaker 2 28:05

Oh, absolutely bizarre In a house where everything was illegal. The city was like okay, no, but we want you to comply, you know when you're selling cigars.

Speaker 1 28:13

Wow, yeah, it's very weird. So tell me what your published works. It says you publish things and you do speaking and community engagement. Tell me about some of the stuff you like to do.

Speaker 2 28:24

Some of that I mean well.

Speaker 1 28:25

Or you've done and that you're doing, and then we want to get to what you're coming to, what I'm working on, the new thing.

Speaker 2 28:30

Yeah, the new thing.

The Wicked Waterfront: Crimps and Cons

Speaker 1 28:31

Yeah, hold steady on that one, but go ahead.

Speaker 2 28:33

Okay, so gosh, as far as public, well, I've taught at OLLI, I've given presentations here locally, different local history. I mean everything from just kind of the evolution of Old Town to the settlement period, that sort of thing.

Speaker 1 28:49

Hard stop on OLLI. So for those of us that don't know what OLLI is, I do I taught one. It's For those of us that don't know what.

Speaker 2 28:56

OLLI is, I do, I taught one Is it Osher, osher, osher Through Cal Poly Humboldt. Yes, the Osher Lifelong.

Speaker 1 29:01

Institute. Such a cool thing. I want to do the Wolf Creek thing.

Speaker 2 29:03

Oh yeah, that's for adults. Yes, yes.

Speaker 1 29:05

Have you done that one? No, it's like a week camping with other adults.

Speaker 2 29:09

Yeah, and the focus is primarily serving people 55 and older, kind of lifelong learners, as it says in the name.

Speaker 1 29:23

You're not 55, are you?

Speaker 2 29:24

I'm 56.

Speaker 1 29:25

Oh yeah, I'm 27. Yeah, inside.

Speaker 2 29:29

But it's a great program and I've talked to other instructors that say it's wonderful for the instructors too, because the folks that sign up for those classes clearly want to be there.

Speaker 1 29:39

Yeah.

Speaker 2 29:39

You know, nobody's a kid like getting through a GE class, right, they're all choosing to learn, whatever that person's about to do.

Speaker 1 29:46

Acting out in the back.

Speaker 2 29:47

Exactly, or falling asleep, or whatever.

Speaker 1 29:49

There's Sam 71-year-old man acting out.

Speaker 2 29:51

Yeah 71-year-old man acting out. Yeah, so that's not a danger and I think younger people can go.

Speaker 1 30:00

I don't know how often younger folks take advantage of that. The offerings are really cool, oh yeah. Yeah, there's a huge variety, so you would teach a history class there.

Speaker 2 30:06

Yeah, I've taught a few, so one of the other, and I don't know that I actually taught this one, but I was prepared to so. About opium, the early opium dens and addiction in Humboldt, which is a whole other topic that I did, you asked about writing and I did a story for the North Coast Journal on that that kind of highlighted the parallels between early opioid addiction and what we see today. That was kind of fascinating.

Speaker 1 30:37

In terms of meth and things like that.

Speaker 2 30:39

Well, in terms of addiction, you know the reasons why people become addicted, kind of the ravages of addiction, and why it is so hard for people to stop, and physicians even early. You know, 100 years ago some recognized it was a disease and that people needed help and that there were emotional components to it. Oh wow, I think at times we lose. You know, it's like we recognize stuff like that and then we lose it and then we, I don't know, learn it again. Really, it's very odd when you look at history that way, which reminds me of another.

Speaker 2 31:15

during COVID I did a series for the Lost Coast Outpost on the Spanish flu. Oh, really. Which started with people kind of understanding it was coming, and then this entire debate here locally about whether or not to close businesses and then wear masks or not wear masks.

Speaker 1 31:32

What do you do? What year is that it was?

Speaker 2 31:33

the parallels, that was 1918.

Speaker 1 31:36

Yeah.

Speaker 2 31:36

And that's the parallels as we were going through COVID were just remarkable. The schools whether or not you close the schools, like the debates the debates a hundred years later in a similar situation had not changed at all.

Speaker 1 31:50

History did not change. Did it come and ravage? History did not change.

Speaker 2 31:53

Oh, yeah, yeah, I mean and, and incredibly lethal, I mean. So. Fortunately for us, even though we lost a lot of wonderful community members during that time period, it's not as many as this community lost during the Spanish flu.

Speaker 1 32:07

Wow, wow. So tell me more about other things you've taught and done.

Speaker 2 32:13

Oh gosh, Well boy. So I have a history blog, I think I mentioned, and that's just kind of random. It's more, I mean, I'm trying to move into doing this all day, every day, but it's really just had to be a hobby so far. So I did a North Coast Journal story on the Native American woman who was murdered in Arcata in 1862. And that's where I talk a lot about the history of indenture and the settlement period and the things that happened there. The opium story that I mentioned. Oh see, none of my stuff's happy I did, it's just not.

Speaker 2 32:49

Yeah, no it's I mean, but I think it's important, I think it's really important. I did one for the North Coast Journal, a story for the Journal on early abortions.

Speaker 1 32:57

Wow.

Speaker 2 32:58

And what happened here, you know, and what happened with the women here and the practitioners and when it was, because it was a lot of times even it would be referred to as simply an illegal operation. So you know, just just kind of tracing what happened when people had a hard time accessing care for whatever reason. So that type of thing I'm sure I've done more. You know, for clients I've done a lot of business, I mean through work, a lot of business profiles over the year, which is always really fun. I mean I didn't end up focused on economic and workforce development by accident. I love this place, I love the people that are here and the entrepreneurs and their creativity and the opportunities that come up because of that, and so it's been a fun over the years to write profiles for, you know, the SBDC and now North Edge used to be AEDC and other clients and that sort of thing. So I've done that sort of thing too, right.

Speaker 1 33:57

That's Susan Seaman and our good friend Gosh. What's the guy's name? The head guy for AEDC, ross Ross. Sorry, ross, yeah, love your Ross being it.

Speaker 2 34:07

Yes.

Speaker 1 34:08

No, what a great, great crew. No, I love that. So, speaking of which, so we're going to take the segue and take you into the Dick Taylor quiz zone. What are we playing for today, folks? Brought to you by Dick Taylor chocolate, oh, milk chocolate. That's delicious. I bet you like dark chocolate. I do like dark chocolate. Okay, hey, florida Soul 73%. Oh nice, oh nice. I watched somebody do this on a TikTok with their actual bar. They circled, handcrafted, they circled bean to bar, cacao, cane sugar and fleur de sel. So it's very, these are very. You've had them.

Speaker 2 34:45

Oh yes, I'm a big, big fan.

Speaker 1 34:48

Well, you might just get lucky today.

Speaker 2 34:50

Okay.

Speaker 1 34:51

Are you ready? I guess so, and then I want to come back to your latest passion and tours and stuff. Okay, so we'll go there Ready, okay?

Speaker 2 35:01

Question number one what's the best day of your life? Oh see, as a mother of three children, I can't say one day.

Speaker 1 35:09

There you go, okay.

Speaker 2 35:10

Yeah.

Speaker 1 35:11

So babies.

Speaker 2 35:13

Babies being born, I would have to say my children coming into the world. How old are your kids? Oh gosh, 37. The next one is going to be 34. Wow, and then my baby's 32. Wow, yeah, they're all grown up. Do you have grandkids? Yes, I do, I have three. Each of my kids each has a child. You must have had grandkids early. No, I had my kids early. I was a young mom. But no, my kids were all late 20s, early 30s.

Speaker 1 35:42

Yeah, I mean, joni and I were almost 60 before we had grandkids.

Speaker 2 35:45

Oh, wow.

Speaker 1 35:45

I mean they just waited. Okay, question number two. Okay, these are my new questions, so I'm just going to throw these at you. What was the? We're getting the hard ones out of?

Speaker 2 36:01

the way. Wow, maybe it's a good sign that nothing just pops into my head.

Speaker 1 36:06

That's probably a great sign.

Speaker 2 36:07

Yeah.

Speaker 1 36:08

How about a tough day?

Speaker 2 36:12

Oh see, I probably have to get into politics for that, and I'd prefer not to do that today. Okay, that's fair.

Speaker 1 36:21

Yeah, okay, answer implied Okay, here comes the softballs.

Speaker 2 36:26

Ready Okay, all right.

Speaker 1 36:27

Question number three you can eat anywhere tonight out with a date. Where do you go? Any restaurant in the county.

Speaker 2 36:37

Oh see, I didn't even picture. That's so weird. When you asked that question, I immediately pictured myself in the middle of the bay, like surrounded by water, beautiful sunset.

Speaker 1 36:48

Like in a boat.

Speaker 2 36:49

I guess so yeah.

Speaker 1 36:50

Okay.

Speaker 2 36:52

How random is that.

Speaker 1 36:53

I bet you could get a boat dinner you probably could, there's probably somebody that could put that together with fresh fish. Okay, where do you go for coffee? Assuming you might be a coffee person?

Speaker 2 37:05

Oh, I am a coffee person. I have come up with my own mocha recipe at home because I used to go get coffee a lot like just to do it, which is a bit of an expensive habit. So I have my own little coffee machine and I have soy milk and I use Ovaltine, so I can pretend it's good for me, ovaltine.

Speaker 1 37:25

Yes, yeah.

Speaker 2 37:25

From when you're a kid, you know, and it's got vitamins and minerals and all that for my mocha.

Speaker 1 37:28

It's got chocolate.

Speaker 2 37:29

Yes, exactly right.

Speaker 1 37:31

Wow, I like that. We brought some chocolate. We bought some beans back from Keen Coffee in Utrecht, netherlands, and it's called Geisha.

Speaker 2 37:41

Okay.

Speaker 1 37:44

And it's like this exclusive. So we went to this coffee bar and it's like sipping. So you get all these tastes of stuff like rad stuff from around the world Creamer there's no creamer anywhere in there, so you're just sipping this organic killer dill. And it actually has notes. There's a really trippy. I mean really good coffee has this whole thing.

Speaker 1 38:06

I believe it. I'm not going there. Hey, actually I went there. So question number five what's soul crushing for you and what's fulfilling, what really makes it for you and what really breaks it for you? What?

Speaker 2 38:21

really makes it for you and what really breaks it for you. So this is a weird boy.

Speaker 1 38:30

In Toastmasters we used to call this the pregnant pause.

Speaker 2 38:32

Yeah, I'm trying to.

Speaker 1 38:34

Dramatic pause.

Speaker 2 38:38

Well, none of these. This is where I wish I would have had these ahead of time I could have come up with something brilliant and articulate and well thought out.

Historical Publications and Teaching Experience

Speaker 2 38:44

No, it's funny. I really struggle right now. My biggest struggle, quite frankly, is that I, the stories that I'm uncovering about these women, to me, are so important, not only kind of the political implications and that sort of thing, but just the individual lives that these women led. I mean they can I cuss. They were badasses. I mean they went through so much and survived and figured out a way some of them to thrive. They're just amazing and it's, as I uncover these stories, like I want everybody to know about them.

Speaker 2 39:16

But that takes a lot of time and I still have to pay my bills and feed my cat and fortunately actually, I have a dog now. But I also love my work, like I adore my. I do a lot with the Builders Exchange. You know local businesses that are doing amazing work in this community and I feel honored truly to be able to work with them and support what they do. But yet I've got this pull, you know. So I have to make deals with myself during the day. You know I'm going to work for three hours on the client stuff, okay, and then I can work on the ladies, you know. So it's like.

Speaker 1 39:48

First things first.

Speaker 2 39:49

But that's really the biggest challenge is balancing that right now. Ironic, which is the best problem to have.

Speaker 1 39:55

That's a good problem.

Speaker 2 39:55

Yeah, it's, it's very ironic.

Speaker 1 39:58

This passion that's calling you over here all the time exactly right, yeah.

Speaker 1 40:02

I like that it feels bigger like I'm afraid of getting hit by a car before I'm able to share these stories well, I love the fact that, because it's you're heroic for doing it, discovering the heroes yeah and telling the heroes story, because I think that's isn't that the real story, that you the struggle, struggle in the journey, and that you made it and so-and-so, had, you know, 10 kids and she was amazing and and 55 grandkids, and what a kind of a success story.

Speaker 1 40:28

Yeah, despite all the odds yeah, yeah and then we have all these entitled people in our midst who get everything handed to them and they're not bad asses, they're they're. I don't know what kind of ass they are, but there's. Maybe they're not badasses, I don't know what kind of ass they are, but maybe they're just asses. Yeah, and there's people like that out there and I go well, that's not an interesting story, but somebody that's overcome hardship. Good on you.

Speaker 2 40:50

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 40:52

For discovering and then announcing that.

Speaker 2 40:55

Yeah, well, and even I don't know that the people given everything are any happier or more satisfied with life than those who struggle. Some are yeah, it could be a little easier. Yeah, you're right, it's fine, thank you.

Speaker 1 41:10

But yeah, it's sad because I go oh man, you've been given it all, and what are you doing with it? Yeah, and the answer is well, not much, I don't really care, right, okay, great, that's a great choice. Yeah, Good on you. So, oh, last question Okay, and the quiz will be over. Finally, phew, I know you get to go walk on a trail. What trail are you walking on?

Speaker 2 41:29

Oh gosh, oh, oh see, that's so difficult Because, oh well, okay, sequoia Park, okay, okay, we it is. It's so fun. I have a a friend from high school who recently moved back here and one of our consistent themes when we go walking is how amazingly, incredibly lucky we are that we live right here and like we've got so much beauty literally in our backyard right you walk the waterfront or sequoia park, that just it's breathtaking.

Speaker 2 41:59

you know, or like I will have a meeting in arcada and stop by the Arcata Community Forest on my way home and it's like it's just a walk. This is just like an afternoon walk for me in the middle of heaven.

Speaker 1 42:10

It's amazing. The therapy.

Speaker 2 42:12

Yeah, it's incredible. But I would say Sequoia Park, actually, there's just some spots that are just so incredibly gorgeous.

Speaker 1 42:18

And it's so accessible. My boss from Texas I almost apologized. I go, you know this is, this is a nice park, but it's right in town, but we'll go check it out. And Rich is all like tripping on the trees, he was like he loved it and this guy walked by smoking weed and this doesn't happen in Texas and it's like okay, great Skateboarder almost hit us down on Broadway and he got. He got all the things he got indoctrinated pretty quick.

Speaker 2 42:42

Oh yeah, my sister was visiting once and I remember we were sitting in my backyard and she's like do you ever forget that you live right next to the ocean? Ah and I had to tell her yes, it's like 10 minutes from my house and I hardly ever go to the beach because it just doesn't occur to me.

Speaker 1 43:01

You drive over the bridge. Yeah, I know, are you here in Eureka? Yeah, okay.

Speaker 2 43:05

But it's just. I mean, we get to where we can even take these things for granted. How lucky are we that that's the case, yeah.

Speaker 1 43:12

I'm five minutes from Clam Beach and you know how much I walk in Clam Beach.

Speaker 2 43:16

I know the answer's not enough. Isn't that something?

Speaker 1 43:18

It's just there. I can walk at Clam Beach. You can go all the way up to Moonstone and see maybe 15 people. Oh, yeah, it's like what am I, what was I thinking? Not doing that meditative walk?

Speaker 2 43:30

Yeah, anyway.

Speaker 1 43:31

So tell us about the new project or projects. So you have you mentioned the two walking tours.

Speaker 2 43:37

Yes, so that. So it's kind of part of a bigger thing and again, it's, all you know, building towards this dream of being able to focus and share the stories all day, every day. But I, for years now, I've been, ever since COVID, kind of sharing stories that I've uncovered about the lower levels, lower levels. And Susan Seaman in particular, former mayor of Eureka, would tell me I got to do a tour, do a tour, you should do a tour, That'd be the perfect way to share these stories. And I would hear her, but eh, but then in the space of a week, either at the end of this kind of at the end of the spring, I had two other people tell me that same thing.

Speaker 1 44:19

Ah, Providence.

Speaker 2 44:20

And I was finally like, okay, I'm going to do a tour. And Susan had created what's called Adventure Club and it's amazing. For those who aren't familiar with it, you can look it up on Facebook. She totally made it up. But the basic premise is that somebody plans an activity. It tells you when and where and what to wear and if it costs you anything Cool, and you show up and then you find out what you're doing and so there's only anything.

Speaker 2 44:47

It could be any and it has been. It's been anything from blacksmithing to kayaking, to laughing yoga, to watching a glass blower, to this year, this summer, my tour, perfect, yeah. So we set it up because then I had a deadline and I put it together and I was able to get feedback on it. Good, and I did that tour and it was great and it felt really important because I could even show people physically where some of these things had happened, which really, I think, makes it real.

Speaker 1 45:19

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 45:19

In a way that it just doesn't happen otherwise, and I went home and I filed my fictitious business name statement and I'm starting a new website and it's so. Ultimately, I'm building a business now under the umbrella of preserving histories, but the lower levels is what I'm focused on and it's all about doing tours and presentations and hopefully eventually what I'm calling an armchair tour. So you know, people that maybe aren't very mobile or out of the area can either order a book or do some sort of audio version of it. You know that that share some of these stories and gives people a sense.

Speaker 1 45:56

Maybe with some photos.

Speaker 2 45:58

Exactly yeah. Oh, that's cool, so yeah, so I'm very excited about all of it. All of a sudden it's a lot to do and I have to like, figure out webpages and all that. I don't have an IT department, so it's feeling like a lot and I have to tell myself to breathe and relax.

Speaker 1 46:12

But it's also very exciting Got to find a nerd person.

Speaker 2 46:15

Yes, yeah, I know, used to be my IT person and he left without teaching me everything.

Speaker 1 46:20

So interesting story A couple of days ago driving through London, like by the Thames all the way through we were driving everywhere. We finally got James, the tour bus driver, dude, young guy upstairs giving like a narrative where we were going, and the whole thing came same tour, different day the whole thing came alive and he goes and I go.

Speaker 1 46:56

Could you kind of emphasize the rock and roll part of this a little bit? He goes, sure, he goes right over. There was the studio where Triton Studios were. You know, rod Stewart, you know a couple of the stones, used to live down the street right here by Hyde Park for a while and it was like it's like, oh, this is cool, and he really kind of made it all happen because he knew the stories.

Speaker 2 47:12

Yes, yes.

Speaker 1 47:13

And the geography made it concrete.

Speaker 2 47:16

Yes, exactly.

Speaker 1 47:17

Literally.

The Dick Taylor Quiz Zone

Speaker 2 47:17

Yeah, yeah, combining those two things, there's something pretty special about it, I mean. And for me, just the experience of walking through Old Town is so different. Now it's like, oh well, that's where Kitty lived, oh, that's where, you know, lockhart had his dance hall. Oh, you know, that was the view that people this is where people stuffed off the steamer and onto the wharf and these were the buildings that they saw. Because, you know, some of the buildings in old town have been there since the 1870s. Right, and so I can. The vance hotel, the first two uh stories of the vance hotel, has been there since the 1870 I mean.

Speaker 1 47:52

So answer quick. It had the first flushing toilets or electricity steam.

Speaker 2 47:56

Well, they had steam, they had heat. Yeah, there was something, cause he had a mill Right and he would use and I was trying to figure that out and the mill was was it the foot of G Cause? I did, I found a reference to it and they he used the steam from the mill to to heat. I think it was to heat the different rooms in the hotel.

Speaker 2 48:18

Yeah, I don't know a ton about it. I know it was John Vance and he was a very big deal, Did clearly very, very, very well. But yeah, there was a lot of quote modern amenities here, which is kind of fun too and you think about some of this, you know, like when do people get electricity? When?

Speaker 1 48:35

did they?

Speaker 2 48:35

have lights. You know B Street, the area that I'm focused on. In the 1890s the residents petitioned for a street light because it was dark, just like today. They were like it's too dark at that corner. We need a light, right, you know so.

Speaker 1 48:47

I love it. Yeah, how about the Carson Mansion? You ever do much with that.

Speaker 2 48:52

I mean I've, I have, I've been fortunate enough to be there. I wish more people in the community and I understand why it's a private club and it's very important that they generate that revenue to maintain that structure. But I still wish like I grew up here and never stepped foot in there until I was, you know, my 30s or 40s, but no. So it's beautiful and on my blog there's really fun pictures of the mill. So the Carson Mill was right underneath.

Speaker 2 49:19

It was huge, I mean. So it's really fun to see photos. You know where right now we've just got these empty fields and that sort of thing and it's just, yeah, the Carson. I mean it's a beautiful structure, but we have a ton. I mean I call it in my blog I think I even said this once. To me it's like building porn. There's just so many intricate, incredible little details on our buildings, our historic buildings.

Speaker 1 49:46

Building porn.

Speaker 2 49:47

It is.

Speaker 1 49:48

It's like architectural porn to me, there's so much stuff yeah.

Speaker 2 49:50

But it is. And if you think about the work, I mean, and there's still some lovely structures that get built, that get built. But when you look at the older stuff and all of that detail and think that individuals first decided it was worth spending the money and the time to create those details and then the craftsmen you know had to who knows how long to actually make that stuff happen. And we still see. It's like public art to me. For me, our buildings are like just another form of public art.

Speaker 1 50:21

We're so lucky. Oh yeah, like just another form of public art Neighborhoods.

Speaker 2 50:23

We're so lucky, oh yeah.

Speaker 1 50:24

So you're part of the Humboldt Historical Society, right?

Speaker 2 50:27

I'm a member.

Speaker 1 50:28

Are you a board member or anything?

Speaker 2 50:29

No, no, no, no. I've been on boards a couple of times, but when I get invited, I'm a terrible board member.

Speaker 1 50:36

It's kind of like my job history.

Speaker 2 50:37

I last about a year.

Speaker 1 50:38

I'm a bad board member.

Speaker 2 50:40

I'm just, I am, Though I am.

Speaker 1 50:51

we are starting to ramp up a capital campaign to repair, shore up the facade at the Eureka Theater. I'm excited about that.

Speaker 2 50:53

That's cool, yeah, so we're getting ready to do that. So, yeah, it's short, very definitive kind of end result deliverables we're looking for. So that's the kind of thing you know, jerry rhodia, obviously oh, absolutely he's kind of?

Speaker 1 51:04

is he kind of the history general guru?

Speaker 2 51:07

he's the history, god he's the dude, right?

Speaker 2 51:10

oh, he is the dude, I mean, and for him yeah, hi, jerry, um, and for jerry, he is super fun to listen to because not only does he have kind of the facts in the history is he is also very good at tying those stories to the geography right. You know where I'm just kind of focused on old town or certain areas, like he's just got this, this sense of the entire county and beyond and how those stories kind of work into the landscape and I'm still learning that like realizing, you know that the the bigger houses, that that poor working guys didn't live a mile from Old Town because they didn't have cars and they couldn't afford public, they had to walk.

Speaker 2 51:51

So that's why boarding houses, that's why we had all those boarding houses in Old Town, because the mills were right there.

Speaker 1 51:55

Right.

Speaker 2 51:56

You know so little things. But for me it's not so much physical as just kind of infrastructure and how. I'm just starting to become aware of that.

Speaker 1 52:04

So you know my friend Mel Schuster right.

Speaker 2 52:08

Yes.

Speaker 1 52:09

He's writing the book. Yes, yeah, he's doing the fiction book.

Speaker 2 52:11

I think I owe him an email. Yeah, because he's asked some questions about the ladies.

Speaker 1 52:15

Mel yes.

Speaker 2 52:16

Yes.

Speaker 1 52:17

No, he's really interesting because he's studied heavily and he's writing fiction around some of the stuff. So I think you guys definitely have a connection.

Speaker 2 52:27

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 52:28

They live up in Dallas, oregon, but he's all from here and his dad worked for Channel 6 for years and they're good friends.

Speaker 2 52:37

So is that his father's sculptures.

Speaker 1 52:40

Don't think so In the building. I don't know that. I think he was a cameraman for John.

Speaker 2 52:44

Six, oh, the Schuster, schuster, all the photos, the amazing.

Speaker 1 52:48

Okay, this is a plug for.

Speaker 2 52:49

Cal Poly.

Speaker 1 52:50

I think, yeah, yes.

Speaker 2 52:51

So Cal Poly's got these incredible aerial photos from the 40s, maybe into the 50s, but they're all over Humboldt County that were shot by Schuster. So you can blow them up and look at all these buildings that aren't here anymore, right? Oh, it's fun. It's fun you can find your house.

Speaker 1 53:08

What about the guy, the carriage guy in Old Town? He's kind of historical.

Speaker 2 53:13

I don't know him.

Speaker 1 53:14

Is he British? He's kind of got an accent I don't know.

Speaker 2 53:16

I'd love to know how he got here. Yeah, he's got a little story. Okay.

Speaker 1 53:20

Talk to him a little bit.

Speaker 2 53:21

All right.

Speaker 1 53:21

He does his own little tour. He's got something to say about the buildings. Yeah, jodi and I did that tour, the walking tour one year with one of us through the chamber who was doing it.

Speaker 2 53:32

Oh, very cool.

Speaker 1 53:33

It was really fun. Yeah, I want to do yours though.

Speaker 2 53:35

Yeah, well, and you said you had Eric Vollmer's here. Eric's been doing the Haunted Him and Heard of him yeah. Yes, he's been working.

Speaker 1 53:44

That'd be cool, yeah, so tell me, let's talk about your history real quick. How do you want to be remembered?

Speaker 2 53:50

So I always come to this oh gosh, this is where we start to wrap a little bit, but tell me, how would you like to be remembered when we come to your celebration of life or your gravestone? How would you hope that we would remember you? Well, if I don't see, this is where I get nervous, as long as I don't get hit by a bus.

Speaker 2 54:14

I want to be the person that shares the stories of all these women. I mean and I talk about Eureka, but I can tell you about women in Sacramento and in San.

Building The Lower Levels Tour Business

Speaker 2 54:23

Francisco and you know that really contributed and shaped the community but nobody even knows their names. Be aware of that and then maybe even today, like realize how often people aren't seen that are contributing, especially people maybe that are I hate to use the word margins or I mean for me it's lower levels, just because it's early on and and it's not about them, it's about, you know, kind of the strata of society that people kind of put them in. But if I could do anything before I go, you know that helps people, reminds them, just to be more aware of the people that impact the community, that aren't recognized but are, frankly, just as valuable and important.

Speaker 2 55:16

Sure, I think that would be an incredible legacy. Like you said, not seen, yeah, even though they're right here.

Speaker 1 55:21

Oh, you're going to give us glasses. We could see them that would be good.

Speaker 2 55:24

I like that.

Speaker 1 55:25

I like it. Yeah, you have permission. So call all your stuff, all your websites. How do we find? If I wanted a private tour of Old Town for my business? Yes, and you could drive us around, or do something?

Speaker 2 55:38

How would we, whatever, how would we get ahold of you?

Speaker 1 55:40

Just go to the lowerlevelscom. Lowerlevelscom. Yes, so you have a website.

Speaker 2 55:43

Yeah, don't judge me Again. No IT person, so I'm still working on it, but yeah, but my contact info is in there and a little description of the two tours. Yeah, so just the lowerlevelscom.

Speaker 1 55:54

What do the tours cost? Can I ask that no-transcript? Rogue R-O-G-U-E. What's the road? They said the rows Rogue, the road R-O-G-U-E.

Speaker 2 56:23

The rogues Like the Rogue.

Speaker 1 56:24

Valley in Oregon.

Speaker 2 56:25

Like that, or, like you know, crimps and shysters.

Speaker 1 56:31

So I understand the ladies tour. What's the rogue tour? Is that a little bit more around?

Speaker 2 56:35

Yeah, so that's more focused. So that would be more focused on, say, jack the crimp that you know, coffee Jack and and his kind of tricks with the sailors and that sort of thing, and the mystics that the you know charlatans that came up and took advantage of people in the community, some of the brothel keepers that were frankly just assholes, but unfortunately, ladies you know, had to deal with them and you know so it's more just kind of the guys that are interesting. You're not necessarily going to like them very much different and more sympathetic response and be more kind of educational as far as get you thinking about. You know the dangers and limited options and choices. You know that people may, can buy.

Speaker 1 57:30

Kind of all part of the human condition. Right, exactly right, yep, yep, we all will suffer from that journey. Indeed, that's good. Well, thanks for being here.

Speaker 2 57:38

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 57:39

Yeah, I really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 57:40

Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1 57:42

I think it's so cool, I want to just learn some more. You made me hungry for that, so with that I'm going to say thanks, lynette. Oh, with that, oh, can we edit in some music For you. A very fresh dark chocolate, 73% Belize Fleur de Sel from Dick Taylor Chocolates, thank you. Dark chocolate, 73% Belize fleur de sel from Dick Taylor Chocolates, thank you. Located in Old Town, eureka, with oh, they're playing this weekend at the Freshwater Land Trust.

Speaker 2 58:11

Huckleberry, flint, yep the Flint.

Speaker 1 58:13

Wonderful, yeah, they're fun.

Speaker 2 58:15

I caught them their Christmas show at the Steeple, which is an amazing venue in Ferndale, oh my gosh, it's just amazing. And these guys were incredible. It had been years since I'd heard them. They're amazing. I think they're actually playing at the Friday Night Market the last one too. They always do, so people may want to check that one too, yeah.

Speaker 1 58:32

I want to go to that, that'd be fun. Yes, yeah, they're always fun to watch. Jodi was saying she read this this morning. She was reading this to me as I woke up. So they're X number of years old. They had 150 awards plus, oh, National, international.

Speaker 2 58:48

I believe it. So I talked early on about doing profiles. I wrote up a profile of those guys, oh really, and how they started making chocolate, like on the kitchen counter, with a crock pot sort of thing, and from that to this. I mean, it's just amazing We've got so many stories like that in Humble.

Speaker 1 59:05

It's just amazing, there's such great stories.

Speaker 2 59:06

Oh yeah, Well, thank you very much.

Speaker 1 59:08

Thank you very much. And thank you very much for being here and listening. If you want to like us, dig us, write us, make a comment, go for it. I appreciate that we're on all the podcasts.