Lesson Four

How Has Humboldt County Changed Over Time?

Lesson Objective: Students will be able to describe how Humboldt County has changed over time. They will understand how actions taken in the past affect their lives today. They will continue to make connections between the three elements of wealth -- people, economy and the environment.

A series of simple overhead transparency diagrams and graphs as well as discussion questions have been provided in this portion of the lesson packet so that the students will be able to see and understand the changes that have taken place. Use the following questions for discussion:

"3.5.1 Students demonstrate basic economic reasoning skills and an understanding of the economy of the local region, in terms of how local producers have used natural resources, human resources and capital resources to produce goods and services in the past and the present." History/Social Science Content Standards for Grades K-12.

Did Native Americans live in our region?

Show a transparency made from Overhead Transparency Master 4, "Tribal Lands in 1850." While European explorers first came to the region in 1850, Native Americans had been living here for thousands of years. Twelve distinct tribes of Native Americans have lived in our region. They did not call our region "Humboldt County", but rather named their homelands in their native languages. The Native American population was conservatively estimated to be approximately 8,000 in 1850. The population is thought to have decreased about 80 percent by 1890.

Source: Kroeber, Alfred. 1925. Handbook of the Indians of California. Smithsonian Institute, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 78. Washington: G.P.O.

Show a transparency made from Overhead Transparency Master 5, "Reservation and Rancherias in 2000." Today, the Native Americans of our community live and conduct tribal business in much smaller areas called reservations and rancherias. There are approximately 7,000 Native Americans living in Humboldt County today. They make up about 6 percent of the population of the county.

Source: US Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov.

Discussion with the students about Native American issues from past to present should be tailored to the depth of their previous discussions of Native Americans.

Reservations are tribal lands of more than 500 acres. Rancherias are tribal lands of less than 500 acres.

How was our county founded?

The county derives its name from Humboldt Bay. The bay was first entered by European explorers during a sea otter hunting expedition in 1806, but was not "rediscovered" until 1849. In 1850, Douglas Ottinger and Hans Buhne entered the bay, naming it "Humboldt" in honor of the German naturalist and world explorer, Baron Alexander von Humboldt.

How many people lived in our region? What were they like?

Show a transparency made from Overhead Transparency Master 6, "Humboldt County Population Estimates (1930-1999)." (It may be necessary to help the students understand how to read a diagram with axes.) Our county population has tripled since 1930. This growth is relatively slow compared to the state of California, however.

Even though Native Americans were the first inhabitants of our region, most of the people living in Humboldt County are white. There are also small communities of Hispanic and Hmong sub-communities in the area.

Humboldt County Population by Race/Ethnicity

(Source: 1999 Humboldt County Economic and Demographic Almanac)

Ask the students to compare the people living in their communities to the neighborhood described in Seedfolks.

Discuss with the students the fact that although our population has grown, we are still considered a rural county. Many people that live in Humboldt County appreciate the fact that we live in a rural area and like living in a small town. What do the students think are the benefits of living in small towns? What are the disadvantages?

Humboldt County has always been known for its scenic beauty and abundant natural resources. These two traits led many people to move to this area in the late 1800's and early 1900's. They found jobs mainly in resource extraction and agriculture.

Timber. The demand for timber from Humboldt County began around the time of the California Gold Rush and reached its peak following World War II. People moving to California throughout this time period needed homes, offices, stores and many other items made from trees, including paper. During the 1950's, the lumber industry employed about one out of every two working people in Humboldt County (50%)! Employment in the timber industry in the county has fallen since then, however. Mechanization in the mills, economic recession, decreased demand and timber harvest regulations have all contributed to the decline. By the middle of the 1960's, lumber-based employment fell to about 33 percent. In 1997, lumber-based manufacturing represented only about 8 percent of county employment, or about 4,300 jobs.

Fishing. Fishing has always been an important source of income and food in Humboldt County. Some of the major fish and marine species caught in our area include salmon, sole, crab, oysters and shrimp. At different times in history Humboldt County provided up to 90 percent of the state catch of these species. Unfortunately, many of the main fish species in our area have been over-fished or their habitat has been damaged through the years. Hundreds of people are still employed by the fishing industry, however.

Dairy farming and cattle ranching. In the late 1800's people in San Francisco relied on Humboldt County farmers to produce much of their cheese and butter. Much of the land in Humboldt County was open pasture for cows to graze in. Many families lived on dairy and cattle ranches where every member of the family was expected to help take care of the cows. Today, Humboldt County dairy farms provide just 1 percent of the milk to the state. Dairy farming is still the largest agricultural industry in Humboldt County, however. Dairies provide about 400 jobs to county residents. Some of the dairy farms and cattle ranches are even run by the grandchildren of the original owners.

Since the 1960's, the source of growth in county employment has come from the service and retail sales industries, as well as from state and local government positions. Far fewer people in the county are working on the land with the natural resources. Our beautiful area still attracts many visitors, however, and the tourism industry provides almost as many jobs as the lumber and wood products industry.

Discuss with the students the connection between preserving the environment and the potential for saving jobs. For example, trees have always been important to Humboldt County employment. In the past, timber extraction was the main source of jobs. Today, attracting tourists to look at the trees and other beautiful areas in the region provides many jobs. In addition, preserving the health of rivers may help preserve employment in the fishing industry.

The four largest employers in Humboldt County in 1997 were: Humboldt State University, The Pacific Lumber Company, St. Joseph Health System and Eureka City Schools. Source: "HSU: Impact on the Humboldt County Economy." Produced by Dr. Peter Kenyon, School of Business and Economics, HSU.

"3.1.2 Students describe the physical and human geography and use maps, tables, graphs, photographs, and charts to organize information about people, places and environment in a spatial context by tracing the ways in which people have used the resources of the local region and modified the physical environment." History/Social Science Content Standards for Grades K-12.

Show a transparency made from Overhead Transparency Master 7, "Land Usage." (It may be necessary to help the students understand percentages and how to read a pie chart.) The diagram shows how land in Humboldt County is used by acre and as a percent of the total acreage. Over the years, much of our prime agricultural land and open space has been converted to roads, houses, shopping centers and other developments. Even with this conversion, much of the land in the region (71%) is still held in timber production zone, public lands and public trust. Included in the public lands and trust categories are 10 state parks, 16 county parks and beaches, recreational areas and reserves, and portions of National Parks and National Forests.

Discuss with students how unique it is that our community has such a high percentage of land preserved in a natural state. Contrast land usage in Humboldt County with a big city such as San Francisco. What benefits do the students think our county and our communities derive from living in a scenic area?

An acre is the term used in the United States to describe an area of land. There are 43,560 square feet in an acre. One acre is slightly smaller than a football field.

What kind of fish and wildlife lived here?

A variety of fish and wildlife have lived in our region. Some of the major fish species have included salmon, sole, crab, oysters and shrimp.

The number of species listed as either threatened or endangered in Humboldt County by either the State or Federal government has increased from 5 in 1985 to 11 in 1997.

An endangered species is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. A threatened species is one that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service web site: http://www.fws.gov

Discuss with the students some of the values of wildlife such as food source, products (such as leather hides), aesthetics, and biodiversity. Ask the students to consider whether one wildlife value is more important than another. If we must choose one value or use, how do we decide?

Attendance at Humboldt County elementary, middle and high schools has been growing over the years. Average daily attendance was 7,525 in 1940, 13,195 in 1950, and 24,890 in 1960. In 1999, Humboldt County had 25 public elementary schools and 2 public high schools, as well as numerous private schools. Enrollment in the school system was 22,209 students in 1999.

Source: Grobey, John and John Ehlen. 1971. Humboldt County Economic Almanac. Humboldt State University: Arcata. And Humboldt County Office of Education web site: http://www.humboldt.K12.ca.us

Humboldt State University was founded in 1913 and was called "Humboldt State Normal School." The campus started with just one building on 11^th and M Street in Arcata. Seventy-eight students attended Humboldt State Normal School and only teaching programs were offered. Today, over 7,000 students attend the university and 46 baccalaureate degrees and 23 graduate programs are offered. There are over 90 buildings on campus and the university is currently planning to build several more.

Source and for more information: Tanner, William, 1993. A View from the Hill. Humboldt State University: Arcata.

Show a transparency made from Overhead Transparency Master 8, "College of the Redwoods Enrollment." College of the Redwoods (CR) was founded in 1964 by an election of the people of Humboldt County. Classes were held at Eureka High School until 1967 when the CR campus was finished being constructed. Over 1,800 students attended CR in 1965. Enrollment at CR reached a peak of over 9,000 students in the late 1970's. Enrollment declined through the 1980's and has leveled off at about 5,000 students through the 1990's.

Source: "1999 Humboldt County Economic and Demographic Almanac." Published by Split Rock Ventures.

Discuss with the students some of the benefits of attending college. Discuss some of the skills training courses offered at CR such as the police academy, computer courses, dental and medical assisting and automotive technology. The skills acquired in these courses help people get jobs. It would seem that people would want to acquire these skills, yet fewer people are attending CR than in the past.

Lesson Closure:

Students should have a basic understanding of how Humboldt County has changed over time. Students have been shown examples from the three categories of wealth:

• People: Native Americans, county founding, population and education, human skills and abilities
• Economy: factories, roads, marinas, and income
• Environment: land, fish and wildlife.

They have also begun to see some of the interconnectedness between the categories. The next discussion will allow students to envision what their communities may look like in the future.