Exploring The Remnants Of Falk, California

The Town of Falk, 1890

George Bisconer (Link attached of where photo was found) 

Similar to my Samoa blog, I'll be making another blog just of nature shots I got on this expedition. I got some great ones, but putting them here would make this blog far longer than it's already going to be.

Thanks to a suggestion from a woman who read my other blog about the Samoa Dunes and Beach, a few weeks ago I went and explored the old town called Falk. I've heard people describe it as a ghost town before, but it seems to be past the stage of "ghost town," at least the pieces I saw of what was left. The forest has taken over the structures, and there are remnants everywhere, some blending more in than others. 

Camouflaged Remnants Scattered About:

(All pieces camouflaged in the earth - there were probably many more remnants I didn't see)

Falk, California was founded in 1884 by a man named Noah Falk. Originally from Ohio, he came over to the West Coast. He was a lumber worker for thirty years here. He bought 160 acres in what is now, mainly, Headwaters Forest Reserve. He spent about $400 to buy this land, and in today's money that would be almost $11,000. It was so cheap because the federal government was selling land that was "unfit" for farming for only $2.50 (equivalent to $68.13 today) an acre, to people who may want to use the land to log and mine. 

In 1884, Noah Falk opened up the Falk Lumbermill. Falk created its own, small community of about 400 people. They had all of their essentials - housing, a general store, a cookhouse, a water tower, a post office, and a dance hall. This was the definition of a lumber town, with workers working 6 days a week, for about 12 hours a day, on lumber. They made about $3 a day in this lifestyle. They would have to use one of those giant, old saws to cut down trees. So the men cutting would sit and spend all day to cut down one tree. They logged many old growth redwoods, and I personally saw giant stumps on this trip that highlighted the giant trees they cut down.

The town did have some livestock and light farming and gardening (for the community), but its main focus was lumber. This lumber played a big role in Humboldt's defining industry, and was taken by train to Bucksport, California. If you're familiar with Humboldt County, Bucksport was a town only 2.5 miles southwest of Eureka's downtown. The railroad this lumber took passenger on to Bucksport was called the Bucksport and Elk River Railroad, and it ran from the mill to the Humboldt Bay. It not only took lumber, but also took the residences of Falk to Eureka for school and shopping. 

Although there were long days in Falk, the townspeople had their fun and remained a community. A Eureka orchestra would come to Falk and enliven their dance hall on Saturday nights. They worked together as a community and planted those gardens I was telling you about up above. They had orchards of mainly plum and cherry trees, and used this food to get them through the winter when the Falk Mill was shut down. They had a good way of life for about 53 years.

The Great Depression hit and in 1937, the mill that had created the town of Falk got shut down. Because there was no lumber work, which is why the town had been formed, the town's members all trickled out of there through the next few decades until it turned into an official ghost town. 

Falk: From Lumber Town to Forest Ground

On the Cutting Edge

Did you know the first bandsaw in the U.S. was used here at the Elk River Mill? The bandsaw replaced the large circular saws and enabled sawyers to mill huge old-growth redwood trees. By 1907 this steam operator mill was producing 40,000 board feet per day, enough to build two and a half modern houses!

Falk utilized the latest logging equipment such as the 1882 Dolbeer steam donkey, which replaced oxen that once moved the giant redwood logs. Logging technology changed rapidly much like cell phone technology does today. Elk River Lumber Company wasn't able to keep pace with all of these changes. Coupled with high operating costs and the Great Depression, the mill closed in 1937.

Picture from 1907

Falk Fades into the Forest

After the Falk ghost-town era ended, the forest that once dominated this area returned. Ongoing stewardship will allow these trees to develop old-growth characteristics such as those that existed before Falk.

Remnants Of A Fallen House In Falk:

(The outside of the crumbling house)

(What looks to be an old water line that lead to the house)

(A water heater)

(The old chimney)

(The inside of the house - I do not recommend exploring to the extent I did. Some parts of the ground were pretty unstable)

There was one couple who did stay though. Loleta and Charlie Webb moved to the area in the early 1900s. After everyone else cleared out in the 50s, she and Charlie stayed until the 1970s. Charlie would chase off looters with his shotgun (supposedly filled with rock salt).

This sign above was very close to a trail that lead to the remnants of an old structure that is still standing. I did not see any information actually by the old structure, so I am only guessing when I say this structure was part of the property of Loleta and Charlie Webb. The following photos highlight it. 

The Old Standing Structure:

(All of the outside angles of it)

(The light switch didn't work)

(The roof inside is falling in on itself)

(The view from the inside almost looks like a painting)

(Some heavy pipes near the structure)

(What looks to be some housing foundation - found close to the structure)

(An old sink scattered close to the structure)

Sierra Pacific Lumber Co. bought the land the town had been on. Unfortunately, but wisely, they had to tear down the empty buildings of Falk in 1979. It was too big of a liability for the company to have because people were using the old buildings of the town to live in, and then other people would come to hunt for "treasure" from the abandoned houses. The tracks for the train that hauled the lumber and townspeople were removed in the 1950s.

Here is one last remnant I found.

The Old Vehicle:

(You can see how dated this rusty vehicle is based on the old lights - it must have gotten left behind when everyone left)

The woman who suggested exploring Falk to me actually works for the owners who bought most of the land the town laid on. The Bureau of Land Management bought Headwaters Forest Reserve on March 1st, 1999. This same woman wrote an article about Falk on BLM's website, which is where I'm getting a lot of my information: https://www.visitredwoods.com/listing/falk-historic-logging-ghost-town/526/

Since the federal government has bought the reserve, they've created quite the historic area for people from all over to take self-guided tours to learn about Falk's history, as well as the native animals and plants of the reserve. In fact, I work at an elementary school and every year the 5th graders get to go to this education center and learn about the area's history. 

Welcome to the Headwaters Education Center

Join us here at the Center, 

where we offer hands-on learning sessions

to help connect land stewards with the surrounding forest.

"The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness." 

-John Muir, naturalist

They've really created a learning place for this land's rich history. 

What the sign says:

(New Life for an Old Engine House

Over 100 years ago, this engine house stored the locomotives that hauled logs to the lumber mill at Falk. Engineers operated the machinery all hours of the day and night - imagine the hustle and bustle! In 2008, the engine house was dismantles piece by piece and moved from its original location across the South Fork Elk River to this site. The engine house now serves as the Headwaters Education Center. 

Built to Last

When the Reserve came into public ownership in 1999, the integrity of this early 1900s-era building was slowly breaking down. The building lasted so long because it was built from redwood, which resists rotting, but the move was critical to keep the building from collapsing. 

One Piece at a Time

In partnership with a U.S. Forest Service Heritage Enterprise Team and dedicated volunteers, the BLM moved the engine house piece by piece across the river. 

In 2008, the engine house was rebuilt on this site. About 40 percent of the redwood was salvaged; the rest of the building was completed with certified sustainable lumber.

Preservation engages the past in a conversation with the present over a mutual concern for the future. 

-William Murtagh, author)

Featured in the sign above, here are some photos of the restored engine house they use now for the Headwaters Education Center.

The Restored Engine House:

(Different angles of the engine house)

Hey, it's me from the future - 11/08/2021

I went back to Headwaters to show a family member the remnants of Falk, and someone left the door to the engine house unlocked. Before locking it for them, I snuck in and got a few photos - they are featured below. 

I tried to go up to every one of those informational plaques, but my camera was having a hard time not blurring in there, even with flash. Plus there was information on both sides of all four. While I'm sure the knowledge on there would have been great to add here, I started to hear people coming and didn't have time to individually take a photo of each one. Anyways, if I can ever go back and take my time in there (maybe be invited in and not have to sneak in), I will add more photos in the future. I hope you enjoyed some photos of inside the engine house. Okay, back to the original blog below.

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(Rusty remnants right next to it)

What the sign says:

(The Sand Shack Traction

Dry Sand = Traction

This building is a replica of a "sand shack" which was located near the old engine house across the river. 

The apparatus you see inside is a sand dryer. The sand had to be dry so it would not clog the machinery. The workers burned a fire beneath the sand dryer in front of you. After the sand dried, they poured it into a "sand dome" on top of the boiler tank of the steam locomotive. Once the engineer released the handle, the sand was poured onto the tracks to improve friction. 

The Engine That Could

The train engine named "Gypsy" carried redwood logs from the woods to the mill pond at Falk. When the rails were wet, dry sand helped keep the loaded train's wheels from slipping on steep grades. The sand likely came from the shores of Humboldt Bay, 6 to 8 miles away.

The Gypsy had developed quite the personality over the years, and for some people on the Upper Elk River, the Gypsy became a town mascot.) 

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These are the remnants of Falk, California. I went off the main trail quite a bit to find everything I did. It took my husband and I a couple of hours of exploring to find it all because we kept being deterred off the main, cemented trail. When we decided to head back, the walk on the cemented trail was only 15 minutes back to the car. So you can see how much is lying around, particularly the hidden remnants that blend in with the forest floor. 

If I missed anything big, let me know, and I can head back and add the photos to this blog. 

It was heartwarming to do this blog. Since the Bureau of Land Management owns a lot of this land, it was nice to see the history being restored and kept alive for everyone to see. A lot of places I focus on in my blogs don't have the same treatment. I hope you enjoyed learning about Falk, California. This is a place I do recommend going to check out if you're ever in the area. If you don't, I hope you had a fun time exploring it with me on here.