“Immigrants, both documented and undocumented, and how they should be treated, are an important part of our national conversation at present. In this World War I poster from the Historical Society collections, the hopeful faces of newly arriving immigrants are featured prominently, with an exhortation to immigrants in general to support the war effort by investing in U.S. Liberty Bonds. Immigrants also offered their lives. In 1917-1918, the government drafted nearly a half million immigrants who had come from forty-six different nations, and many more volunteered for service. More than eighteen percent of the American Expeditionary Forces was made up of foreign-born soldiers.* Before shipping out overseas, they would submit their Petition for Naturalization. Many would die before their citizenship status came through, such as Eureka resident Hans Karl Nilsen, who died in battle in Flanders, and Fortuna resident Haakon Thomassen, who, on his return from France, died of influenza—which took lives worldwide in 1918-1919—at an army base hospital in Virginia. Both were woodsmen from Norway.”
Life in Humboldt During World War I
James R. Garrison
This article detailing the many responses of Humboldters to WWI was originally presented by the author as a speech on Armistice Day 2018, to the Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka.
On the Delicate Matter of Terminology
Editorial
How we use the term “concentration camp”.
A.W. Ericson: Family Stories
Karen Krestensen
The home and Arcata family life of Humboldt County's most well-known early photographer is shared by his great-granddaughter.
The Eureka NAACP, Yesterday and Today
Suzanne Forsyth
The Eureka NAACP has been a steady presence championing civil rights on the North Coast since 1952. The group has experienced an unprecedented growth in membership since 2016.
Hartsook Highlights and Heartbreaks
Jerry Rhode
It was the 1920s, the automobile was freeing city-dwellers and the new redwood highway was beckoning them to the enchanted forests of the North Coast. Fred Hartsook answered that call, and fell under that spell.
World War I Memories
Thomas S. Monroe, with an introduction by Catherine Mace
Career soldier Thomas H. Monroe, Sr., recalls his service as a major in the "Sightseeing 6th."