Timber Heritage Association

A group of individuals interested in preserving timber industry history formed the Northern Counties Logging and Interpretive Association, a non-profit corporation, in 1977. Activities of members centered around a logging exhibit at Fort Humboldt State Historic Park in Eureka. These individuals had urged the creation of the exhibit; they now wanted to develop and expand the effort as a Cooperating Association of the park unit. The organization restored a steam donkey, Bear Harbor Lumber Co. locomotive No. 1 and Elk River Mill & Lumber Co. locomotive No. 1 to operating condition, demonstrating them at steam-ups at the park and taking them on the road to logging conferences and railfairs as far away as Vancouver, Canada.

The name of the organization was changed to the Timber Heritage Association in 2004. While the Association continues to support the logging exhibit at Fort Humboldt State Historic Park, its activities are now much broader. Its mission is to develop a Timber Heritage Museum and create an excursion train around Humboldt Bay. Major steps to restore locomotives and obtain passenger cars have been undertaken.

With change comes new challenges. In 2006, the THA storage yard at Glendale was sold. Hundreds of thousands of tons of artifacts would have to be relocated. Board member Woody Murphy generously offered temporary storage on his property along the bay in Fields Landing. Part way through the move, through a variety of circumstances, a very historic site, the 115 year old former Hammond Lumber Company roundhouse and shops in Samoa became available for short term lease. Artifacts that had been protected under cover at the old storage yard were moved there. The six locomotives still remaining at Glendale will be moved to inside the roundhouse as soon as the contractor donating the move can work it into his schedule.

Site URL: http://timberheritage.org/
Date resource added: 20-May-2001
Hits from this site: 1446
Viwer Rating: 4
Number of Votes: 1

Rate/Vote for This Link
Is This a Broken Link? Please Report It!
Site information need updating? Modify This Resource