Road Trip: Loleta & Ferndale, CA

 

ROAD TRIP:

LOLETA & FERNDALE, CA

April 28, 2022

The drive to Loleta and Ferndale from Eureka is twenty miles. Loleta (population 783) and Ferndale (population 1,371) are located in dairy country. Prior to the 1870s, potato farming was the biggest agricultural land use until depleted soil and declining prices caused a turn to dairy farming. The grass is always green in Loleta and Ferndale--every year the soggy soil is doused with an average of 43 inches of rainfall making for ideal grazing land for dairy cows. When gold brought a rush of people to California in the 1840s, Ferndale’s butterfat fed them. 

Ferndale contains dozens of well-preserved Victorian storefronts and homes. A "butterfat palace" is a Victorian-style home or business laced with an exorbitant amount of what’s called "gingerbread." Gingerbread, or fancy trim, became a status symbol. Wealthy dairymen competed to build the best butterfat palace. 

Ferndale has been featured in such movies as The Majestic and Outbreak. It has appeared in made-for-television movies: Salem’s Lot, A Death in Canaan, and Joe Dirt. Loleta and Eureka were locations for filming the horror movie, Halloween III: Season of the Witch.

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PHOTOS

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Parallel Lines

This closed-down milk bottling plant is located in Loleta.

Historic Bank

The historic Bank of Loleta building (circa 1920) is located in the tiny commercial district of Loleta. The commercial district consists of one side of one block facing railroad tracks and a park. This Classical Revival style bank building is built of reinforced concrete with precast cement decoration. In 1985, the Loleta Bank building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1988, the Bank of Loleta was bought by US Bank which later closed the Loleta Branch. The building now houses the Loleta Community Services District Office. 

Butterfat Palace
Location: Ferndale.

Gingerbread Mansion
Location: Ferndale.

Victorian Inn

The Victorian Inn was built in 1890-1891 to house the Ferndale Bank (originally known as the Russ Building). There were 33 rooms (single rooms and suites) on the second floor. The amenities of the era included bathrooms, water closets, and fireplaces. This Victorian building is an example of Stick-Style Eastlake design. The style is named from using linear "stickwork" (overlayed board strips) on the outside walls.

Vintage Rexall Drugs Sign

Rexall was a chain of American drugstores and the name of their store-branded products. The Federation of United Drug Stores licensed the Rexall brand name to 12,000 drug stores across the United States from 1920 to 1977. By the late 1950s, Rexall's business model of franchised stores, with each store owned independently by the local pharmacist, was already coming under attack by the discount chains, such as Thrifty Drug and Eckerd. By 1977, the value of the Rexall business had deteriorated to the point that it was sold to private investors for $16 million. The investors divested the company-owned stores, though existing franchise retailers could keep the Rexall name. Across the US, some franchise retailers continue to use the Rexall name.

 

Ring's Rexall Drugs in Ferndale is the oldest continuously operating drug store in California. This authentic small-town pharmacy also has a small general store.

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COPYRIGHT

These photographs are the property of Leon Jackson and are protected by copyright laws. Photographs may not be downloaded or reproduced in any way without the written permission of Leon Jackson. © 2022 Leon Jackson. All Rights Reserved.

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