Hans Henry Buhne
Human history is about people, collectively and individually. We all have a part in history, but some individuals make a particularly noticeable mark in it. In Humboldt County, one of those was Hans Henry Buhne.
Before we go on, a word about pronouncing his name, since it has been left on several local features. In his native Danish, the final E is something of a blend of ER or EH, so saying BOONER or BOONEH is closer than the frequently heard BOON or BOONY.
But pronunciation aside, Hans Henry Buhne led an interesting life and made quite an impact on Humboldt County. He was born in 1822 in Flensburg, Denmark to a sea-faring and ship owning father. At age 16, he took to the sea as a cabin boy and within years was sailing on whaling ships to the arctic and south seas. Eventually after some novel-worthy adventures, he landed at San Francisco. Taking ship on another whaler in 1848, he was off the coast of Chile when word came of the California gold strike. The ship then took on passengers eager to join the rush. Once in San Francisco, passengers and crew left the ship and streamed to the gold fields, Buhne among them.
His ventures there were less than successful and were cut short by illness and injury. Returning to San Francisco after recovery, he signed on in April 1850 as second mate on the ship Laura Virginia.
That ship’s aim was to find an entrance to the bay on the north coast which had been reported by an overland party. It was hoped that this could serve as a prosperous supply port to the inland gold fields. In a small boat, Buhne and others probed for a safe entrance over the treacherous sand bar, and eventually they landed near what is now Buhne Point (site of the modern power plant). It was in a campfire discussion there that the name of Humboldt Bay was decided upon – though Buhne Bay had been a contender.
Watching gold seekers soon flood into the bay, Buhne decided that his fortune could be made by supplying them. He returned to San Francisco for goods then set up a small store and hotel here (the first in Humboldt). When this enterprise was less than successful, Buhne decided to get in the supply business directly by leading a mule team inland. A confrontation with local tribes scuttled this scheme, and eventually Buhne returned to the sea and his roots. He took to piloting tugs that guided ships over the bar and set up a lifesaving system for when vessels ran into trouble.
Finally, Buhne was finding the prosperity he’d long sought. In time, he came to own several vessels, acres of farmland, dairy and beef herds, valuable real estate around the county, and part ownership in a saw mill, a mining company, and a railroad. The Buhne hardware store became a Humboldt fixture for decades. In 1884, he designed and built a grand mansion on E Street in Eureka, but sadly his wife, Mary, had died years earlier in a tragic accident on the bay.
By the time of his own death in 1894, Hans Henry Buhne had become one of the most significant figures in Humboldt County. The extensive archives of the Humboldt County Historical Society have a great deal of information about him – as they do about many other Humboldters, who may not have streets named after them, but who all contributed to making our community what it is today.