Building slump hits Eureka in fall of 1920
September 1920 was one of the “dullest months” for builders and contractors in Eureka since World War I ended, according to an article in the Oct. 1, 1920, Humboldt Times.
The newspaper noted that only $5,100 was spent on buildings in the city that month, and all but $150 of that amount was used for repairs or alterations. The only new structure constructed in Eureka in September 1920 was a small garage on N Street.
Also on Oct. 1, 1920, it was reported that “the thirsty friends of Frank Johnson, owner of the Corona wreck near the North Jetty, had all the joy taken out of life yesterday when the first of the 40 or more kegs of steam beer was removed from the hold by the salvage crew.”
According to the paper, the kegs were badly worm-eaten and the beer had suffered from contact with saltwater.
“This goes to show that worms at times show rare discretion, as they selected the beer kegs to drill into when there were several cases of dry goods and food in the same compartment,” said Johnson in the Humboldt Times. (The passenger ship Corona wrecked at the entrance to Humboldt Bay in March 1907. Johnson, a contractor from Eureka, purchased the ruined vessel years later in hopes of salvaging any cargo.)
Here’s some other news from the week spanning Oct. 1 to 7, 1920:
On Oct. 2, 1920, the Humboldt Times reported that membership in the new Eureka Chamber of Commerce was at 616 and was continuing to climb, “with no limit yet in sight.”
“We can easily make this membership 750,” said L. E. Parske, who was involved in the membership campaign. “The campaign is not over yet. It
won’t be over until we have everybody that ought to join the organization.”
According to the Oct. 3, 1920 paper, the Monday Club hosted an Oct. 2 gathering of all the members of the County Federation of Women’s Club. Emma Bradford, representing the Pacific Division of the American Red Cross, delivered an “interesting talk” about that organization. H. C. Nelson, a candidate for the California State Senate, was also on hand to explain the constitutional amendments and other changes to be voted on in the November 1920 election. Others attending the meeting included Dr. Marina Bartola, Mrs. Conrad Berg, Ida Kegan, Mrs. Aaron Schloss, Myrtle Turner and many more.
On Oct. 5, 1920, the Humboldt Times reported that the “long talked of” aluminum smelting plant at Trinidad would soon become a reality.
Mining men “of international fame,” including B. L. Thane, Roy Elliott, Frank Wehe, E. K. Solinsky and P. J. Solinsky of San Francisco — under the business name Electro Metals Co. — had purchased rights to the project from local mining engineers Frank and Carl Lanford. The new company planned to transport aluminum bauxite from South America and smelt it using Frank Lanford’s patent process at a plant to be built at Trinidad.
According to the Oct. 7, 1920, Humboldt Times, Blue Lake was home to two of the youngest businesswomen in the county, if not the entire state. On Oct. 1 of that year, J. E. Merriam turned over the interests and management of his secondhand store to his 9-year-old granddaughter, Mercedes Moore, and her friend Annetta Tumboury.
“These little business ladies have procured a license, and every evening and Saturdays they may be seen proudly displaying their wares and attending strictly to business,” the newspaper said.