Alexander Brizard

                 Like many aspects of Humboldt County history, the Brizard story begins with the California gold rush. Alexander Brizard was born in 1839 in Bordeau, France. His father, Paul Brizard, was a sea captain and moved his family to Lima, Peru in 1843 to engage in maritime trading. But when news broke of the California gold strike, the senior Brizard headed to San Francisco. Within a year, the whole family had settled in Union Town, present day Arcata. There he reassembled the wooden house he had brought with him from Peru.

                 For three years, young Alexander accompanied his father into the gold fields, but when this didn’t bring expected fortune, Alexander turned his hand to leading pack trains into the mountains. A friend he made when in town landed him a position as a store clerk. For several years, the two young men clerked at that store and then at another. But in 1863 they established their own firm of Brizard and Rossum on the east side of Arcata’s plaza. In twelve years, Rossum withdrew and it became Brizard’s Store.

                 This was a mercantile, a general merchandise store providing everything from groceries, hardware and furniture to tobacco, liquor and clothing. Soon Brizard was establishing branch stores in Blue Lake, Hoopa, Weitchpec, Martin’s Ferry, Orleans and Somes Bar, and later adding Requa, Willow Creek and Scotia. Many Brizard stores in these little outposts also served as post offices, banks and community centers. 

                 Using his field experience, Brizard assembled mule trains to supply outlying stores. The preferred mules for the job were the stronger variety from Mexico. Purchasing these mules was a task Brizard took on himself, and unlike some of his competitors, Brizard reportedly made a point of not overloading his mules. The usual trains consisted of about 40 mules but some reached as many as 100.  Each mule carried up to 300 pounds each. As well as supplying his stores, the mules also carried pipes and other equipment for the mines.

                 A devastating fire in 1875 gutted most of the Plaza’s east side including Brizard’s store, where apparently the fire started. But with encouragement from his supporters, Brizard rebuilt. When even this store became too small for his expanding business, in 1879 he purchased Jacoby’s storehouse, the brick and stone structure on the southeast corner of the Plaza. In later years, continuing business expansion led to remodeling and constructing additional stories.

                Alexander Brizard married Margaret Henry, daughter of another prosperous Arcata family. His three sons, Paul, Brousse and Henry successively took over managing the business after their father’s death in 1904. 

                When the last Brizard retired in 1951, the firm was managed by Robert Matthews who had been a Brizard employee since 1911. He oversaw further expansion of the business, moving into tractors and other machinery. The Brizard/Matthews Machinery Company in Arcata was active in providing machinery for the WWII war effort. Later it established branches in Eureka and Crescent City. 

                In 1974, the Brizard store finally closed – over a century after its founding. But the building continued to contribute to Arcata’s economy by housing a variety of retail stores, eateries and offices. It then returned to the original name of The Jacoby Storehouse.

                The story of the Brizard family and businesses is only one of many woven into the fabric of local history. It and many similar stories are preserved at the Humboldt County Historical Society where information about history, businesses and genealogy is available to the public. One large room at the Society’s headquarters is filled with business and government records. There, several shelves hold Brizard business ledgers from its many stores. Anyone doing research on past Humboldt businesses would find this room an invaluable resource.