Chapter 10

Chapter 10 talked about the Southern Coastlands, which in many was is similar to life in Crescent City because it is also located along the coast, yet it is also different. The only things that really grow in Crescent City and its surrounds are blackberries, raspberries, thimble berries, and apple trees. Some people have a pear tree or two and others even have blue berries. There are no orange trees or even lemon trees like there are along the southern coastlands though.

Crescent City receives a significant amount of rain each year, about 65 inches a year. The region also experiences a significant amount of lightening storms. Many of the children learn how to count approximately how far away the center of the storm is because a good number of the storms have strong enough winds that many of the residents lose power. Storming nights are a common thing, with many of the children even playing in the rain simply because it meant not having to stay in the house for 2-3 days at a time. Storms are not the only weather relate events that the region has to worry about. There have been a few earthquakes that have occurred to the south that have been felt in Crescent City, none have been strong enough to cause damage though like what residents in Southern California have seen.

Damage from the 1964 Tsunami (Source:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/5135282966_f8eb07d6e6_m.jpg)

 With these earthquakes there is also the possibility of tsunamis. Tsunamis can be seen as this regions hurricanes, although there has only been 1 on record to produce significant damage. The tsunami occurred on March 27, 1964, as a result of the Good Friday Earthquake off Anchorage, Alaska. The earthquake set off a trans-Pacific tsunami that sped in three hours down the U.S. West Coast to the state of Washington. Destroying anything in its path and continued down the coast. Four and 1/2 hours after the earthquake occurred the tsunami hit Crescent City, four waves struck over a two-hour period. Almost 300 buildings had been destroyed, hundreds of cars ruined, fishing vessels destroyed and 12 people had died. Many other individuals were also missing, many were later found but some to this day still have an unknown fate. It was estimated that the city had suffered more damage then Anchorage did from the earthquake.

Damage to Dalys Dept. Store (Source:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1113/5135329394_76c0e04208_m.jpg)

I would like to add that on March 11, 2011 due the to Japan earthquake, the Crescent City harbor experienced major damage. All docks were damaged, many completely destroyed, and the 35 remaining boats int he harbor were all damaged as well; many of them sinking. Majority of the boats that were in the harbor though left the harbor before the tsunami hit in an attempt to ride the waves out in the high seas. This decision proved to be very helpful and smart on their part in the beginning, they avoided being in the harbor when the surges hit, yet many of the came close to completely running out of fuel because they had to wait until the surges halted. It has been estimated that the damage could very well top out at 25 million dollars.

(Source: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRBvQx8mzFhSo8EXWZZiD68kvvQY5JTjJv6Je88SQokKgk3-DFa)

(Source: http://media.mlive.com/grpress/news_impact/photo/9376183-large.jpg)

(source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma0fLBuU78c&feature=related)

Chapter 9

The changing south was described for us within the pages of chapter 9. The south has transformed over the years based upon many factors, but mostly because of the type of people living there. Crescent City has also gone through changes as a result of the type of people living there.

The various Native American's although still have a strong impact on the culture and lives of those living in Crescent City to this day, had a stronger impact many years ago before the "white" men began to come to the area. Once the said "white" men moved in to the land they brought their own ways of life and through out the years this process is repeated as more individuals come to the area. The previous culture is blended with the one moving in and it creates something new. It is a normal process that is seen everyone, but it has made Crescent City who it is.

Something else I would like to point out is that much of the south and Crescent City are both rural areas. Even though city is in its name, there is much countryside surround the actual city and many of the residents do live actually around the city. A ride on the school bus could be as long as 2 hours simply because the buses have to go so far out of town to even drop the children off near their homes. One of the main roads is highway 101, must know it as the PCH down here in Southern California. To help illustrate how rural the area still is, my own street when I was living there was still a dirt road as many of the others were. Our mail box was down at the very end of the road because our street was directly off the highway, we lives about 1/2 mile down the street.  One of the advantages of being such a rural area is the space and freedom one experiences. When heading down my street there were only 4 houses before mine, 2 on each side. All the space surrounding you was literally like your own personal forest. Privacy was everywhere, unlike urban areas.

Chapter 8

In this chapter, we are introduced to the region known as Appalachia and the Ozarks. There are a few similarities with this region and Crescent City, CA. The topography is similar in some ways, as well as, the economy in both areas and the culture found within each.

(Source: http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/24051026.jpg)

Crescent City is surrounded by trees and other brush, much like the Appalachia region. Streams running through the woods, with various kinds of trees over grown and ferns sprouting all over. Crescent City is very much a wilderness area and is diamonds in the sky to a nature enthusiast. There are many trails all around the city, some miles long and others simple short half mile walks.

Crescent City, much like the region discussed in chapter 8 within out book, is relatively poor as well. Fishing and working for the state prison are the two highest paid career choices within the city, yet they both do not pay as well as some jobs found else where.  Approximately 34% of the population in Crescent City have an income below the poverty level. The medium income for a household is slightly over $20,000.

Pelican Bay State Prison (Source: http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/visitors/images/aerialShots/PBSP_8x10.jpg)

In chapter 8 of the book, it was also discussed that there is a difference in culture between the northern and southern areas of the Appalachia region. Difference can also be found within the Crescent City area with people who live in the actual city and people who live on the outskirts of the city. People just on the outside of the city tend to be some of the more wealthy and yet also more outgoing and adventurous. The individuals who do not live in the middle of town tend to know how to live off the land or survive with just going into town once a week, twice at most. They have a better sense of nature and the great out doors than those individuals found within the city limits. The people living within the city are more accustom to "city life" and have a different way of life. They do not rely on the land as much, which is understandable being in town and instance access to the city's features. These differences produce a difference within the people even though they live in the same region.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 discusses the Bypassed East, which includes the Atlantic Providences of Canada, northern New England and the Adriondack region of New York. The two major commodities for this region are fish and trees, which happens to also be a major commodities for Crescent City over the years as well.

(Source: http://www.inn-california.com/redwoods/images/c4514.jpg)

Fishing has developed over the years as a way of life for many of the residents in the area. With access to the ocean and rivers to both the north and south, fish was not only a common source of food, it was also a way to make a living. Salmon are prevalent in the rivers, as well as steelhead in the Smith River, and many of the residents have perfected recipes over the years for cooking salmon as well as using it in the recipe for different dishes because it was an easy catch for many of the people. Many people over the years have also opted to fish from shore or the jetty if they do not have access to a boat and often catch rock cod. Many of the residents though have invested in a boat or work for someone who has one and go out into the ocean and catch a variety of sea life to bring home. The town is mainly a crab and salmon port, but other species caught are sole, lingcod, rockfish, flounder, whitebait, smelt, albacore, sablefish, surf perch, shark and halibut. Whaling was something that occurred for a period in Crescent city and was started in about 1855.

(Source: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSUE-Uim78xKyrEIGR6p2fVko2pCSdVovAIpHuiZspiG-mejw5_Bw)

The port though and in general the whole fishing industry in Crescent City developed the way it did because of the trees. The timber industry caused the expansion of the port due to the need to have a place to bring timber in and transport it inland to mines. In 1853 the first mill was established in Crescent City.  Logging was hard brutal work, as hand tools and oxen moved the logs to the mills. Today much of the area is protected and part of national parks. Families still due higher various companies to come in and remove some of the trees on their property to expand their own land. Land is bought up and homes are built, yet much of the forest is still left in the surrounding area which adds to the beauty of this region.

(Source: http://www.inn-california.com/redwoods/images/c5550.jpg)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 in the textbook discusses the manufacturing core of North America. Crescent City, being located in Northern California is not part of this important aspect of our country. As talked about in the chapter some of the key location factors are location of raw materials, transportation, energy availably and the cost of energy all played a large role in the manufacturing core.  In Crescent City, there are no raw materials available, transportation was not easy and widely available and the energy needed would have cost more than some would have imagined to spend.

The Smith River. (Source: http://picsofyourlocation.tribe.net/photos/c2549367-c5e2-47ab-9ed8-23e07bef277a)

Crescent City is loacted on the sea coast, but also right near the mountains. Simply building roads in and out of the city have proven to be deadly with many men not only dying from building such roads, but also dying from traveling them. The rivers near by are not wide enough nor deep enough for large boats to travel. Near by there is an area that had ferries which allowed crossing of passages, but not many goods could pass on these ferries because they could not support such large weight. The port in the harbor is small and not near many other large ports. This port however was key to getting goods to Crescent City for many years because the first road was not built and finished until 1858. There are not many raw materials of value to the manufacturing industry. In fact, the only type a resource was copper which was found and mined to the north east of Crescent City, which peak for about a 5 year period then declined. Each of these things show why the this whole area is not an ideal industrial location and explains why Crescent City was not developed around such an industry. Crescent City relied on what was near and not what was around the world. It's "market" was in town, not anywhere in the world.

(Source: http://content.cdlib.org/data/13030/cg/kt667nb1cg/figures/caljsiol_sio1ca175_096_028.gif)

Chapter 4

Crescent City is no where near being called a Megalopolis, but the area has changed and become more urbanized over the years. What may seem like a normal daily thing such as stopping for coffee at your local Starbucks was not the case for people living in this area until recently. Up until about 7-10 years ago, many stores and business that where found in major cities where non-existent in Crescent City. Some people living in the area may not have even known what a Starbucks was! The area has expanded a lot though in the last 7-10 years from getting new restaurants to new stores, but overall not much has changed. It still has a running drive-in theater, one which is the hang out spot Friday and Saturday night.  If you are not at the drive-in, you better have a good excuse. There is now a Jack in the Box location there as well that was not there 10 years ago.

Slowly things have progress and expanded in the region, but overall in comparison to many places it is a very small place. As the years gone on the expansion of the city will occur but that chances of a major bloom are slim. Many of the residents prefer it this way though, life in the woods is the only life worth living is the motto for many.

Chaper 3

(Source: http://docs.google.com/viewer?pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjmlYNB8wTFeEMEag1a25PknPcK4PD5WuHUDQttFwTlQIKjh7spWcHQZz-e8XmdMO_j_JHogJpBpOAjtaeGNGmA-TzqwyngBp3n_q7TZrzp1zWD6Uvx-_ApbmJLZjCRva4e4iHT&q=cache%3Ana-xf8MvnwoJ%3Awww.nps.gov%2Fredw%2Fplanyourvisit%2Fupload%2FREDWmap2Tribes.pdf%20yurok%20and%20tolowa&docid=c6c9c9c96203e3cdc9d901228eabc883&a=bi&pagenumber=1&w=800)

Chapter 3 in our textbook talked about the foundations of human activity and the expansion (urbanization) of various areas. Crescent City to this day is a very small place so for this chapters post I am going to focus on the two Native American tribes that lived near Crescent City because they both had a major influence on the city when it first began as well as today.

(Source: http://donigreenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/powwow2.jpg)

 

 

 

 

(Source: http://www.nps.gov/archive/redw/images/dance.jpg)

 

 

 

 

 

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The Yurok people lived along the Klamath River predominately until more white settlers moved to the area, then at that point they dispersed to areas closer to the ocean as well as further inland but still near water sources. Some of the villages date back to the 14th century. They relied on salmon from the river as well as game from the forest and shellfish from the ocean. They have their own language that is only one of two Algonquian languages spoken in California. An usual feature of the language is that certain nouns change depending upon whether there is one, two, or three of the object. When white settlers came for gold during the gold rush, many of the tribe's members became sick with diseases they never had seen before and faced massacres. Today they live on the Yurok Indian Reservation, on  rancherias, and through Humboldt County. To this day fishing, hunting, and gathering remain important to tribal members. Basket weaving and woodcarver are just two art forms the tribe prides themselves on.

The Tolowa lived in the Smith River basin, which is north of where the Yurok lived. They also lived north of this area, including up into what is now known as the state of Oregon. Tolowa villages were organized around a headman and usually consisted of related men. The men brought wives in from neighboring tribes. The brides were usually related, in order for the wealth to remain in the paternal families. They put a very high value and stressed personal wealth, which is why the practice of marrying someone related was performed. Jedediah Smith and his exploration party were the first known white settlers to encounter the Tolowa. The tride, like the Yurok and many other tribes, faced death from diseases spread by the white settlers and mass murders by them as well. The Native Americans, even though very advanced for medicine technology at the time, could not treat many of the diseases brought on by the white settlers moving to the area.

Even though both tribes encountered death upon the arrival of the white settlers in various forms, not all interactions resulted in such an end. Some white settlers took it upon themselves to befriend the tribe members and this proved to be useful in many ways. By sharing the ways of life and how each hunted, fished, lived off the land, the location of certain sought after animal life, the knowledge of where certain plants where and what they could do, crafting certain objects such as baskets and making clothes allowed the people to interact.

(Source: http://donigreenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/powwow3.jpg)

Both members of the Yurok and Tolowa tribes live together, one of the places they live together is the Elk Valley Rancheria. Although they each have their own ways of doing certain things, they still share many similarities. They have impacted the way of life in the region by having influenced the  white settlers as they came. Many of the children today mix with others in the region and befriend people who are not Native American.

I lived for many years in Crescent City, CA and one of my best friends was Tolowa. He taught me many different things, and because of him I had no fear of getting lost in the woods around my house because he showed me how to figure out which direction I was facing, what plants were safe, and what was safe to step on and what was not safe to step on. I also attended various ceremonies with him think I would be the only white person there, but I was wrong. There was sometimes as many as 20 white people in attendance to some of the ceremonial events. His mother ever year for her children's friends made baskets as gifts for birthdays and took the opportunity to come to the schools in the area and teach the children about her people.