Hi there!
According to Key to the City's page for Blue Lake, Humboldt County,
California:
"The name Blue Lake given to this town was originally a joke on the
public. There never was a lake. The town is really named for a saw
mill pond that was dirty and smelly from log storage and sorting on
its way into the mill. I beleive the mill was called the McIntosh stud
mill and was located where a charcoal making company is today, just
south of town. The only natural water is the Mad River which passes a
half mile south of town."
Blue Lake
http://www.pe.net/~rksnow/cacountybluelake.htm
Apparently, Blue Lake was at one time an important logging town.
There is a large display and museum of logging activities, including
the history of the area at Fort Humboldt State Historic Park, in
Eureka:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=665
Historical information about Blue Lake itself can be found at the Blue
Lake Museum. According to a page devoted to Humboldt county,
historical document and photo files are available to researchers at
the Museum. You may be able to find information about the house now
known as the Butterfield Apartments there - I was unable to find any
mention of the building online:
Blue Lake Museum
330 Railroad Ave
Blue Lake, CA 95525
Phone: 707-668-4188
Northern Humboldt
http://www.thepalette.com/orgs/north.html
The Blue Lakes Chamber of Commerce doesn't have a website yet, but
they should be able to direct you to other sources of historical
information about Blue Lakes, CA. They may even maintain their own
historical archives (my own community's CoC maintains an extensive
historical archive, due to pivotal events of the French and Indian War
and the War of 1812 occurring here):
Blue Lake Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 476
Blue Lake, CA 95525
(707) 668-5345
I hope these point you in the right direction! Good luck!
--Missy |
