County mourns death of sheriff in late 1920

A capacity crowd gathered at the Elks Club on Fifth and H streets in Eureka on Dec. 31, 1920, to pay respects to Humboldt County Sheriff Robert Redmond, who died Dec. 28 of that year of injuries received in a single- car accident on what’s now known as Old Arcata Road.

Why the vehicle left the road and crashed into a fence was unknown, but the incident did take place while Redmond was on official business, according to the Humboldt Times newspaper. The sheriff was 47 years old and left behind a wife, Mary, and five children. He was an active member of the Fortuna Lodge of Odd Fellows, the Elks, the Eagles and other community organizations, according to the newspaper.

Redmond, originally from Antrim, Ireland, was buried at Myrtle Grove Cemetery in Eureka.

Other news from 100 years ago this week included:

On Jan. 1, 1921, the Humboldt Times reported that the birth rate in the county was too low, according to State Registrar L. E. Ross of the State Board of Health.

“This does not necessarily mean that too few babies are born within the county,” the paper said, “but it does mean that many births are not registered as required by law. The present birth rate … indicates that at least 200 births are not registered each year.”

The fault for this, the Humboldt Times noted, “lies with the parents and the attending physician, who do not file the required certificate with the local registrar.”

On the second day of 1921, the Humboldt Times reported that men ages 18 to 35 were needed to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard to serve at the local station, “which guards the treacherous entrance to Humboldt Bay.”