In 1870, in the dairy town of Ferndale, CA, the Robert’s Hotel opened its doors. While horse-drawn buggies rolled down the dusty street outside, farmers, townsfolk, and passers-through could stop for a warm meal and wind down in the saloon. The hotel changed owners, names, and function throughout the years, until the current owners purchased it in 1996 under the name Hotel Ivanhoe. At the town’s urging, the nostalgic owners restored the hotel to its original purpose: hotel, restaurant, saloon, and gathering place.
It is in this historic building, one of the oldest in Ferndale, that our blog begins. When we stepped through the doors, Bilbo and I found ourselves in a 142 year-old saloon. There weren’t any cowboys, but I could imagine the early settlers and passing prospectors crowded around me. I wonder how many gun fights took place here, how many fortunes lost at poker, was there a brothel upstairs…or was this place a little more classy than your run-of-the mill 1800’s saloon?
Passing through the swinging doors into the dining area led me to believe that this may very well have been an “up-scale joint” for the early Ferndalians and not a rough and rowdy Old West saloon. Darn, I was hoping for a scandalous and Gem-like history (the saloon from Deadwood) within these walls. However, this area of the California was built upon farming and logging, not a gold rush. The history is a bit different, but still rich; and the modern-day restaurant was no disappointment!
Being a coastal town, Ferndale’s supply of seafood is plentiful and fresh. So we couldn’t have gone wrong with the clam chowder that started our meal! After that, Bilbo had a plate of scampi with prawns, veggies, and Hotel Ivanhoe’s signature pasta. I had cheese ravioli in a rich and luscious sauce. When the waiter brought around the dessert tray it was hard to resist those temptations, but we were satisfyingly stuffed and ready to waddle back across the street to our hotel.
Since arriving in Ferndale, people have told us that we should take a drive up the coast to Fern Canyon. Well, this week we decided to do it! After all, it must be an amazing hike if some many people have recommended it. Unfortunately, it had been a very rainy week around here and the road to the park was flooded. The previous week’s car challenge had made us unwilling to take any risks, so we turned around and started working on plan “B”.
Formulating a new plan was not at all challenging as the route between Fern Canyon and Ferndale is littered with coastal State Parks. We began with a brief walk along the shore at Humboldt Lagoons State Park; however, we had driven by this area many times and wanted to explore something new.
So, in honor of it being St. Patrick’s Day, we drove on to Patrick’s Point State Park. No, the park isn’t named for St. Patrick, but it was a nice coincidence. Wouldn’t you say? The state park actually takes its name from Patrick Beegan, who homesteaded this rocky, densely forested area in 1851.
We spent the day walking along the Rim Trail, which loops around the coast and breaks off to coastal access points and dramatic views. I wish we had discovered this place sooner.
The town of Trinidad was our final stop on the way back to Ferndale. It is a cute little tourist town on the bay with seafood restaurants galore. One person told me that it was renamed in the 30’s to give a more exotic draw and increase tourism. I don’t know how accurate this is, but I do know that the town used to be Warnersville and before that it was la Santisima Trinidad. None the less, it is charming.
Back in Ferndale we spent some more time exploring downtown, beginning with a trip to the Blacksmith Shop Gallery. We took our time as we meandered through the maze of iron art, including vining furniture, Medieval light fixtures, and elegantly bizarre sculptures. Every one of these impressive pieces was crafted by members of a local blacksmith guild and is on display for free in the gallery.
My favorite pieces were these stools! They are made of water meter covers from around the world—Paris, New York, San Francisco, and other such romantic towns. If I had a few thousand dollars to spare and room in the Civic, those babies would have been mine.
Next up was the Ferndale Museum where, for $1, you can peruse through scenes of Ferndale’s history.
Look! The Mountaineer was here! Actually, that was the suite of the legendary hunter and frontiersman, Seth Kinman. He is known for presenting each President with an ornate, handcrafted armchair made from elk horns.
Of particular interest was a seismology meter that records activity throughout the area. During our first month in Humboldt County, we experienced a 5.6 Richter earthquake—very exciting!
Throughout the museum were rooms set up to mimic life in the 1800’s with furniture and artifacts donated by local families and benefactors. Here is a picture of the barber shop, a replica of the town’s original with the actual furniture and tools, complete with stripped sign.
We found out that a Ferndale bakery hold the record for “World’s Tallest Cake.” It was baked in 1953 and stood 15 and 1/2 feet tall. Now, that’s a lot of cake!
There was an large annex area with various artifacts from Ferndale’s history: store signs, farm and dairy equipment, buggies, camping equipment, and…
the set up of an old blacksmith shop. I think that Bilbo’s days of fruitlessly searching for the blacksmith are over, wouldn’t you say?
After leaving the museum, we took a stroll to check out the Gingerbread Mansion, a Victorian style B&B with all the bells and whistles. It’s just one of the many gorgeous houses in Ferndale.
On the way back to our hotel, we passed the Ferndale VFD. See that little bitty siren on top of the building? It is not as innocent as it looks! They use the siren to summons all of the firefighters and it is loud, especially when it is just a block from your bedroom. The first time we heard it we thought that the zombie apocalypse had come! Hide your brains and run for your life!
Isn’t this a nice little town? If you ever feel the need to get away from it all, relax, and enjoy the quiet life go to Ferndale! I’m sure you’ll love it!
