May 18, 2014 Eureka, California

We left Redcrest and made the short and easy drive north on Highway 101 to Eureka.  Now that we are no longer on California Highway 1, the road is much better!  We arrived at the Fairgrounds in Eureka which was a full hookup very reasonably priced campground.

Eureka has a population of around 27,000.  It has a rich history mainly based on the California Gold Rush mid to late 1800’s.  As thousands of people poured into the area in search of gold, their need for housing and the numerous redwood forests in the area provided a prosperous economy for northern California.  Lumber was manufactured and shipped from the region so the area became rich through lumber and shipping.  Many people in Eureka became wealthy which can be seen in the many large Victorian style homes.  There is a walking tour of all the historic homes in the area known as Old Town.  Two such homes are the William Carson Mansion and the “Pink Lady”.  The Carson Mansion, owned by William Carson who was the owner of a prosperous lumber company, is one of the most photographed and written about homes in California.IMG_20140520_200831 It  was sold in 1950 to the Ingomar Club which is a men’s club by invitation only.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pink Lady located across the street from the Carson Mansion, was built in 1889 by William Carson as a wedding gift to his son.  IMG_20140520_200712

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you may have guessed, Eureka received its name from the Greek word “Eureka” which means “I have found it” and was first used by the Greek mathematician Archimedes.  The gold rushers would say when they discovered gold and the name stuck for the town.

Eureka is also a very artsy town and home to hundreds of artists and we found a self guided walking tour of twenty murals painted on buildings throughout the town.  Here are a couple of our favorite which includes this mural, a tribute to architecture and the performing arts which is located on the side of a bank. IMG_20140520_201022 The mural measures 70 feet by 70 feet and is one of the largest murals in northern California.

 

 

 

 

 

The other is titled “Nature’s Bounty” and is made up of six 20 foot panels.  IMG_20140520_201454

 

 

We stayed here three nights and originally selected it because it was on our route north.  We were certainly glad we did since it turned out to be a charming, historical town.  We were even able to do some shopping at Walmart and Safeway, eat a couple meals out, grab some geocaches and Bill even managed to get a haircut.

 

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