Books - Local History - Humboldt - LibGuides at College of the Redwoods

Introduction to Library Materials

Library Materials

Many useful resources are available in the College of the Redwoods Library, including books, reference books, eBooks, and videos. Additional resources may be available at the Del Norte or Humboldt County Libraries and Cal Poly Humboldt Library. Visit those libraries' websites to search their catalogs. Use OneSearch to find books and other resources about your topic in the CR library and selected, college-level resources on the web.

Call Numbers

Library of Congress Subject Headings are the call numbers used at College of the Redwoods, Dewey decimal call numbers are used at Humboldt County Public Library.

Using the history related search words or any words relating to your topic, use the suggested call number ranges to browse for titles of interest, or consult the list of recommended books below.

Suggested Library of Congress call number ranges for browsing:

E 99 Indian Tribes and Cultures

F 859-869 California History

HD 9759 Manufacturing Industries

TF 24 Railroad Engineering and Manufacturing

Suggested Dewey Decimal call number ranges for browsing:

978 General history of North America Western United States
979 General history of North America Great Basin & Pacific Slope

These call number ranges can include: United States and the Americas history. Be sure to also check in the Oversize collection, these are larger books that require a larger shelf. Books with large illustrations, charts, and diagrams are more likely to be oversized. There are online books and reference books not listed so check the catalogs.

There may be books about history related ideas about automobiles, economics, or social history; however, these are easier to find by searching the book catalog by subject words. See the links inside the catalog searches for other subject searches click on these to expand your search.

Humboldt County Books in the CR Library's General Collection. During the Pandemic call the Circulation desk to check out books. 707-476-4260.

Arcata by Jessie Faulkner
Call Number: F869.A69 F38 2004
ISBN: 9780738529066
Publication Date: 2004
Eureka and Humboldt County California by Clarke Historical Museum Staff
Call Number: F868.H8 S37 2001
ISBN: 0738518727
Publication Date: 2001
Humboldt Redwoods State Park by Jerry Rohde; Gisela Rohde; Larry Eifert (Illustrator)
Call Number: F868.H8 R64 1992
ISBN: 0936810254
Publication Date: 1992-09-01
Logging Railroads of Humboldt and Mendocino Counties by Katy M. Tahja
Call Number: F868.H8 S37 2001
ISBN: 9780738596211
Publication Date: 2013
Logging the Redwoods by Lynwood Carranco; John T. Labbe
Call Number: Oversize SD397.R3 C35
ISBN: 087004236X
Publication Date: 1975
The Sea Captain's Odyssey by Marvin Dale Shepherd
Call Number: VK140.B84 S54 2011
ISBN: 9780984520701
Publication Date: 2011

More Humboldt County History Books in the CR Library's General Collection.

The book of Petrolia : its history, land and people
Compiled by Mattole Union Elementary students and teachers in 1962, this book chronicles the history, people, and oil boom in the town of Petrolia, California.
The Carson Mansion - Ingomar Club
As one of the most written about, and photographed Victorian houses in California, and perhaps in the United States, the William Carson Mansion epitomizes the range of possibilities for eclectic design expression that created a peculiarly American style of architecture. This 22 page book is full of large color photographs, history of the mansion, its architecture,and the exterior grounds.
Ferndale
Drawing on the large photographic collections of the Ferndale Museum, this books traces the history of Ferndale and surrounding communities in the Eel River Valley including Port Kenyon, Arlynda, Centerville, Grizzly Bluff, and Waddington.
Karuk : the upriver people
Detailed descriptions of the little-known Karuk Indians of northwestern California, known as the Upriver People. The geography of the territory, everyday life of clothing, houses, subsistence, preparation of food
Lure of Humboldt Bay region; early explorations, discoveries, and foundations establishing the bay region
Published in 1966
The origin of Mattole : through the eyes of a salmon
A tale of humor and history featuring Henrietta - a ficticious fish - as the guide on a journey up the Mattole River of Northern California in an exploration of the region's creeks and peaks, and the origins of their unique names.
Redwood Country; The Lava Region and the Redwoods
This 1949 American Folkways publication includes information on southern Oregon and northern California. This book features chapters about Trinidad and Humboldt and Mendocino loggers.
Richard Philipsen’s A Gathering of the Past. Part 1
A history of the Danish immigrant Svendsen and Christiansen families settling in the Eel River Valley, and their descendents -- The Peter Philipsen story, founder of the Humboldt Creamery at Fernbridge -- "Life on the Christiansen farm" in the early 1900's -- "Journal of my life", born in 1913, Myrtle Philipsen relates her life of 97 years -- Old photos in the areas of Loleta, Fernbridge, and Ferndale, Humboldt County, California.
Trinidad
When Spanish explorers turned their ships north in the summer of 1775, they were searching for new territory for the Spanish crown. Nearly 300 miles north of San Francisco, they found safe harbor in a small but beautiful bay they called Trinidad.