Fort Humboldt State Historic Park
40.7757, -124.1806
- Nearest town
- Eureka
- Map status
- Verified pin
- Visit conditions
- 1 update
- Research reviewed
- Aug 17, 2026
Conditions
Check before visiting
Current closure: The Museum and Surgeon's Quarters are closed to visitors due to construction (State Parks alert, updated 4 August 2026)
Field guide
Know before you go
- Hours
- Not published. State Parks states only that the park is day use, and lists district office hours of Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
- Admission
- Not published on any official State Parks page or brochure. Don't assume free — call (707) 445-6547. The California State Library Parks Pass is accepted
- Address
- 3431 Fort Avenue, Eureka, CA 95503, on a bluff on the south side of Eureka just off Highway 101
- Phone
- (707) 445-6547 (current parks.ca.gov page; both brochures still print (707) 488-2041)
- Established
- January 1853 by Fourth Infantry soldiers under Brevet Lt. Colonel Robert C. Buchanan; abandoned as a post in 1870; state historic park since 1963
- Outdoor logging museum
- Open-air 19th and 20th century logging equipment, including the locomotives Lucy and Falk and several steam donkeys
- Steam Ups
- Third Saturdays, May through September, when the historic equipment is run under steam
- Dolbeer Donkey Days
- April, two days of operating equipment and logging competitions
- Other programmes
- Junior Ranger programs for ages 7-12 in summer, Living History events, interpretive programs at the environmental learning center
- Garden
- Historic herb and vegetable garden with period plantings, recreated in 2001
- Facilities
- Parking, restrooms, drinking water, hiking trails, bookstore, picnic tables on the grassy bluff. No camping or lodging
- Accessibility
- Parking, restrooms, trails and exhibits are generally accessible per the park brochure; the museum is reached by mostly level paths
- Dogs
- Official brochures conflict — the 2009 sheet allows pets on a six-foot leash, the 2012 sheet permits leashed service animals and bars pets from buildings. The current parks.ca.gov page states no park-specific policy
- Wiyot land
- State Parks states the park sits on the ancestral lands of the Wiyot people and acknowledges the impact of 19th-century colonisation
The place
About Fort Humboldt State Historic Park
The museum and the Surgeon's Quarters are closed. California State Parks posted the construction alert and last updated it on 4 August 2026: the restored hospital building holding the historical museum, and the Surgeon's Quarters rebuilt beside it in the 1980s, are both shut to visitors. No wider closure has been announced.
That leaves the outdoor logging museum, which is the substance here regardless. Two named steam locomotives sit in the open air: Lucy, the Bear Harbor Lumber Company's Gypsy Locomotive #1, and Falk, the Elk River Mill and Lumber Company's #1. Steam donkeys stand alongside them on a self-guided trail of exhibits covering logging here from the 1850s on. Third Saturdays from May through September are the Steam Ups, when the machinery actually runs.
Fourth Infantry soldiers under Brevet Lt. Colonel Robert C. Buchanan established the post in January 1853 to manage tensions among Native people, gold seekers and settlers after the northern gold strikes. By 1857 fourteen redwood and plaster buildings stood in a U around a parade ground. It became headquarters of the Humboldt Military District, was abandoned in 1870 and made a state historic park in 1963.
Fort Humboldt sits on the ancestral lands of the Wiyot people, which State Parks states plainly, and Tuluwat on Indian Island was the Wiyot physical and spiritual center. On 26 February 1860 a volunteer militia attacked Wiyot people across five villages. The 2009 park brochure records that the militia massacred over 100 unarmed Indians, with more than 200 native people dead across the wider period of conflict; the 2012 brochure says several hundred were killed. Survivors regained portions of Indian Island and are restoring the sacred sites there.
Ulysses S. Grant was posted here as a captain in Company F, 4th Infantry, in 1853-54, and resigned amid accusations of drunkenness. Official sources describe the job three ways: captain of Company F, quartermaster, or commander of Company F. Five months or six, depending which you read.
No public hours, open days or admission price appear on any official State Parks page or brochure, which says only that the park is day use. Call (707) 445-6547 before you drive out.
Picnic tables sit on the grassy bluff above the bay.
Same area
Explore nearby
Local planning questions
Frequently asked
Is Fort Humboldt open right now?
Partly. California State Parks has the Museum and the Surgeon's Quarters closed to visitors for construction, per an alert last updated on 4 August 2026. No wider closure has been announced, so the outdoor logging museum and grounds are the draw for now. Call (707) 445-6547 to confirm before travelling.
How much does Fort Humboldt cost?
No admission or day-use fee is published on any official State Parks page or brochure, and no official statement says entry is free either. The park does accept the California State Library Parks Pass. Phone (707) 445-6547 for a current answer.
Was Ulysses S. Grant stationed at Fort Humboldt?
Yes, as a captain in Company F, 4th Infantry, in 1853-54, and he resigned amid accusations of drunkenness. Official sources describe the posting three different ways: State Parks has him stationed as captain of Company F, the 2012 park brochure calls him the quartermaster, and Redwood Parks Conservancy says he commanded Company F. His length of service is given as five months in the brochures and six by the Conservancy.
What is Fort Humboldt's connection to the Wiyot people?
The park sits on Wiyot ancestral land, which California State Parks states plainly, and the post was a focal point for conflicts between settlers, volunteer militia and Wiyot, Hoopa and Yurok people. On 26 February 1860 a militia attacked five Wiyot villages: the 2009 official brochure records over 100 unarmed Indians massacred and more than 200 dead across the period of conflict, while the 2012 brochure says several hundred were killed. Tuluwat on Indian Island, the Wiyot physical and spiritual center, has since been partly regained by survivors, who are restoring the sacred sites.
When can you see the steam locomotives running at Fort Humboldt?
On the third Saturday of the month, May through September, at the Steam Ups. Dolbeer Donkey Days in April is the other date, a two-day event with operating equipment and logging competitions. Outside those days Lucy, Falk and the steam donkeys sit as static outdoor exhibits.
Official and supporting sources
- Official site
- California State Parks, park history
- California State Parks
- Park brochure (2012)
- Park brochure (2009)
- Redwood Parks Conservancy
- Visit Redwoods listing
Research reconciled 2026-08-17. Closures, fees, permits and hours can change.