*** Source: History and Business Directory of Humboldt County, Lillie E. Hamm, November 1890, Eureka, Cal. *** ---page 075--- [ad] J.E. MATHEWS, Agent for Daily, Weekly and Sunday EXAMINER [ad] HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY 75 other districts in the State of California. Hundreds of thousands of acres are still open to pre-emption or purchase at very low rates, adapted to farming, grazing, mining or agricultural purposes. The history of the land office at Eureka dates back to 1856, in which year the Legislature passed a resolution that an additional land district be established in the northern part of the State, with a land office in Humboldt county. In accordance with an Act of Congress, an office was opened in 1858 at "Humboldt Point," Mr. Wm. McDaniels and Major Hook being the first Register and Receiver respectively. Their instructions were to open the office at this place, where there was reason to expect the coming city was to be located. It was found unsuited to the purpose, and in October, 1858, the office was removed to Bucksport, and subsequently to Eureka, a petition to the Government to that effect having been previously forwarded, as it had become evident that by nature and surrounding circumstances Eureka was to be the chief city of Humboldt Bay. According to the report of U.S. Register Roberts, made in 1882, there were at that time approximately a million and a quarter acres of unsold Government land in Humboldt county. On these lands the timber area is practically unlimited, while there can be no doubt of the mineral wealth contained in the earth awaiting the development of industry and enterprise. Land preeminently adapted to the purposes of agriculture and horticulture are to be had at figures which insure to the industrious settler a liberal return for the investment of money and energy. With the filling in and development of the county of late years the value of valley lands especially has naturally increased, and as much as from $100 to $300 per acre is placed upon some. There has, of course, been much money made by the advance in values, and there is no doubt that great opportunities are offered at the present writing for profitable investment. As the lumbering business advances and denudes the land of trees, it becomes available for cultivation, it being of course necessary to remove the stumps, which may themselves be made a source of income. It is not too much to say that the resources of Humboldt county, agricultural, forest, grazing and mining, are but in the first stages of development, and that as this district advances towards its "manifest destiny" the appreciation in the value of land must be correspondingly rapid. The best farming land is valued at $100 to $300, grazing at $6 to $20 per acre, according to quality, while timber land is worth from $15 to several hundred dollars per acre. But few acres are required to make a living, and a very comfortable one at that. A rapid change of opinion has taken place in this State. Where it was formerly thought necessary that success in agriculture depended upon the thousand of acres under cultivation, it has been demonstrated that ten or twenty acres well attended to will produce more and consequently net more than hundreds of acres but carelessly tilled. In fact, there are many farmers having but ten, twenty or forty acres of land in this State who are receiving larger profits than some of the lords of a thousand acres who are in the condition of poverty known as "land poor," and eke out a miserable existence, and are in the end foreclosed upon by some capitalist or bank who holds the mortgage upon their vast estates. Taking it at the most, 40 acres, well tilled and intelligently planted, [ad] Gibbard & Lever make a Specialty of Bedroom and Parlor Suits Cor. 3d and H Sts. Pioneer Bdg, Eureka [ad] ---end---