Blue Ox Millworks Historic Park

In 1973, Eureka native Eric Hollenbeck purchased and restored an old logging company with three partners and a $300 bank loan. He began his business with a contract to conduct salvage logging around Humboldt for the California State Park Service. By 1991, he was able to turn his passion for restoration work into the Blue Ox Millworks Historic Park, demonstrating Victorian craftsman techniques used in the 19th century, including such skilled trades as woodworking, blacksmithing, ceramics, plasterwork, and printing.

The Historic Park offers a glimpse of the past in its bunk house, cook shack, print shop, apothecary, boat works, blacksmith's shop, ceramics studio, woodshops, lathe room, and other facilities that house original furnishings and equipment from the Victorian period. A good example of Blue Ox craftsmanship is Eureka's stately Carson Mansion, for which custom exterior mouldings were made. In cooperation with the Humboldt Office of Education, a hands-on program of craft-learning projects is offered to local high school students, too.

Guided tours of the Blue Ox Millworks Historic Park are available Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 4pm. Included are demonstrations of how Victorian era tools are used and lots of interesting stories, plus an introduction to Babe and Blue, the park's pair of 2,400-pound oxen. There is a $10 per person charge for groups of ten or more. Self-guided tours cost $7.50 for adult, $6.50 for children, and $3.50 for children aged 6~12. The address is 1 X Street, Eureka, California 95501-0847.