Page 9 The Ferndale (California) Enterprise

Former Ferndale mayor remembers a turn-of-the-century Ferndale with plenty of mud, shooting and swearing!
Former Ferndale Mayor David E. Rees,
who served in that position in the early 1930s, praised Ferndale in a letter printed in The Enterprise July 6, 1962. He eloquently illustrates his impressions of the farm village he first encountered on his arrival in 1901. Reess letter was written in response to news of Ferndales painted make-over in 1962. Even with all the mud and lack of sidewalk facilities during his time, wrote then-editor, George Waldner, Mr. Rees must have found considerable charm in the city for he lived here until recent years and never misses an opportunity to make a return trip whenever he can. Mr. Rees writes (June 28, 1962): The picture of Ferndale in her new dress takes me back 62 years ago, to January 8, when I landed in Ferndale by way of Brices Stage Coach, loaded inside and out, and hanging on the boot. That night there were 20 passengers hanging onto and packed inside that old stage coach. The depot was just to the left as you started up Table Bluff hill and the [Singley] ferry was straight out from there. When we reached the ferry, Mr. Barnes, the coachman, said, Men will have to get off. I cant pull you through this gravel. So we all piled off and waded through shoe-top mud from the ferry to the Sage place, a half mile, and from there we were allowed to ride or hang on the best we could till we came to the lane east of the Halley School house. There we had a quarter mile of sloppy mud to wade through, till we reached the hill at the school house. From there we were allowed to climb on and from the Grant School house we were allowed to ride in state clear to the Ferndale Hotel (now the Ivanhoe). Its name was changed to Ivanhoe about

Courtesy Ferndale Museum

Main Street, Ferndale, at the turn-of-the-20th-century looking south, with the Pythian Castle on the right. Ferndale Pizza Company is now located on the castles spot.
with dew or fog in the mornings. As my first job in Ferndale was in the Simpson Shop making butter boxes, I was usually pretty well dabbled with the mud or dampness when I got to work. As I remember, there were only three pieces of concrete sidewalk on Main Street, in front of the KausenWilliams Hardware, TaubStore, and mans Russ-Williams Store. Crosswalks were three redwood planks laid side by side. There were two department stores: Russ, Aggeler and Williams, and Aggeler Brothers; three hardware stores: Hatchs, Russ-Williams, and Francis Brothers; two drug stores: Rings and Alfords. There were four churches: the Methodist Episcopal, Congregational, Adventist, and Catholic. There were four strong organized lodges: Native Sons, IOOF [Odd Fellows], Masonic and [four different] Danish. I am ashamed to men-

three years later. There were two first class hotels and seven saloons, beside two hotel bars. Most of the sidewalks were three redwood planks laid side by side and alongside of those planks grass had grown up three feet Courtesy of Ferndale Museum high, and it was genThe stage from Eureka arrives in downtown Ferndale. erally wet

Courtesy Ferndale Museum

Cutler Hatchs Hardware store.

tion it, but two red light houses that, judging from the swearing and shooting, did a lively business. They were put out of business, I believe, about 1906. I am giving you what Ferndale was like in 1901, and just think, now 61 years later...People are drinking less beer and more buttermilk, and are becoming more civilized and less selfish. And I would like to mention one man as a leader of this great reform, and that is Rev. Roscoe Douglass. David Rees Oakland

Courtesy Ferndale Museum

Alfords Pharmacy was eventually replaced by the Hart Building, which is now home to the Ferndale Repertory Theatre.

The Ferndale Museum

Open Wed-Sat 11 am to 4 pm Sun. 1 pm to 4 pm plus Tues. 11 am to 4 pm, June 1-Sept. 30

We welcome your visit February through December
(We close the month of January for maintenance and restoration.)

Corner of Shaw and Third Streets 707/786-4466 www.ferndale-museum.org