Synopses & Reviews
When Spanish explorers turned their ships north in the summer of 1775, they were searching for new territory for the Spanish crown. Nearly 300 miles north of San Francisco, they found safe harbor in a small but beautiful bay they called Trinidad. The Spaniards erected a large cross on Trinidad Head and left the Bay of Trinidad prominently marked on maps of what would become the fledgling state of California. Many came to Trinidad to seek their fortunes--from fur traders and Gold Rush miners to pioneer homesteaders and timber barons. They found the land already inhabited by indigenous Yurok tribes, whose ancestral home encompassed the entire greater Trinidad region, bound by three rivers and filled with a vast and ancient redwood forest. Today, after more than a century and a half of boom and bust, Trinidad is a seaside oasis.
Review
Title: New book celebrates history of Trinidad
Author - Staff Writer
Publisher: Times-Standard
Date: 2/4/2010
Historian Dione Armand will visit Eureka Books on Saturday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to sign copies of her new book, "Trinidad."
Armand is also the author of "Eureka and Sequoia Park," another work of local history in Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series.
"I discovered that the Trinidad Museum owns a collection of photographs that spans over a century of Humboldt County history," Armand said, "including early redwood logging in the nearby company town of Crannell and the whaling industry at the Trinidad Whaling Station."
With this treasure trove of material to work with, she was able to compile this history of Trinidad, including images of Yurok life, the Gold Rush era, Trinidad lighthouse history and a portrait of Trinidad today.
The timing of the new book coincides with the newly opened the Trinidad Museum, located off Main Street and Patrick's Point Drive in Trinidad. Housed in a renovated Victorian Italianate bungalow that was moved from its former location near Trinidad State Beach, the museum exhibits a collection of Indian baskets, historic photographs and a redwood canoe carved from one log by Axel Lindgren, among other local treasures.
The new book showcases the museum's collection, said Armand.
"In 2008, I began working with Ned Simmons at the Trinidad Museum Society to select the best and most unusual photographs for the book," she said. "Most of the photograph collection was originally compiled by longtime resident Katie Boyle. We had her originals, as well as other historical photographs and family albums. Humboldt State University and the Humboldt County Historical Society also contributed photographs from their collections."
The images selected for Trinidad showcase the transformation of the town from a logging and whaling community to the vibrant tourism and arts destination that it is today.
In addition to the event at Eureka Books, Armand will be signing copies of "Trinidad" at the Trinidad Museum, 400 Janis Court, from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 13.
Eureka Books is located at 426 Second St.
About the Author
Dione F. Armand specializes in environmental history and is the author of Images of America: Eureka and Sequoia Park. She teaches history at the College of the Redwoods. Using vintage images from the Trinidad Museum Society and other local archives, Armand details the fascinating stories of the greater Trinidad region, providing a rare glimpse into its many eras and industries, peoples, and landscapes.