Clarke Historical Museum

The Clarke Historical Museum on 3rd Street in Old Town is the main history museum for the Humboldt Bay region, and it is considerably better than its modest exterior suggests. The collection spans natural history, Victorian-era material culture, and indigenous Wiyot artefacts, with particular strength in the lives of the region's first peoples and the dramatic boom years of the 1880s and 1890s when Eureka was one of the most productive timber ports in the world.

The Wiyot gallery is the highlight of the permanent collection — a thoughtfully curated display of basketry, regalia, and ceremonial objects presented with extensive community input. The Victorian rooms are also strong, with furnishings, photographs, and decorative objects from Eureka's prosperous past. Admission is by suggested donation; the museum is closed Mondays.

things to do museum sight
A story
The museum's collection of Wiyot ceremonial regalia is among the most significant holdings of indigenous material from Northern California. The Wiyot people, who have lived on Humboldt Bay for thousands of years, collaborated with the museum on its indigenous galleries — a partnership that reflects the painful history of the Wiyot, who suffered a devastating massacre on Indian Island in the bay in 1860 and have been slowly rebuilding their community and cultural heritage ever since.