Region I: Humboldt’s Inland Southeast

Humboldt County often finds itself in the crosshairs of moisture-packed winter storms whose loads are unleashed on the coastal mountains.  Floods remind us that our presence on the fertile river deltas and bottomlands is tenuous at best. The epic floods of 1955 and 1964 swept away the Eel River communities of Weott, Elinor, Dyerville, Pepperwood, Holmes, Larabee, and Shively. Most were never rebuilt and none regained their former status.

Just before Christmas, 1964, over 22 inches of warm rain fell on the Eel River basin in a two-day period, compounded by quick melting of the heavy snowpack.  By December 23, the volume of the flood at Scotia exceeded the average discharge of the entire Mississippi River basin. At Miranda the high water mark reached 46 feet (13 feet above flood stage) and signs in a number of locations document the unbelievable height of floodwaters (two of note include one high overhead at the old Weott town site north of Humboldt Redwoods Visitor Center; another is at the turn from the Avenue of the Giants east on the Dyerville Loop Road). Sixteen state highway bridges were destroyed along the North Coast, another ten county bridges were washed away in Humboldt County and the Northwestern Pacific Railroad was devastated.

1. Summer Bridge Options:
   1. Shively Road
   2. Holmes Flat Road
   3. McCann Ferry and Low-Water Bridge
2. Van Duzen County Park (Pamplin Grove to Swimmer’s Delight)
3. Grizzly Creek Redwoods and Cheatham Grove
4. Redwood House Road and Kneeland Road alternative
5. Seward Road
6. Southern Dyerville Loop Road
7. Mount Lassic (aka Signal Peak) and Black Lassic