How many Mills were in Humboldt in 1947? 170! Whoa!

Redwood Regional Economic Development Committee Executive Director Gregg Foster writes an intriguing  article for the Time Standard, "Then and now in Humboldt County." Some of the more interesting tid bits that caught my interest in comparing 1947 with now.

1. Because of the marketing boom for new houses after World War II, the need for lumber caused a boom in Sawmills, with numbers in Humboldt going from 49 to about 170! The worlds largest Redwood Mill was in Scotia.

2. Around 6,000 of the then 52,000 people living in the county worked in a mill. About 12% of the population. Agriculture nearly matched the mills in employment.

3. Timber production was at 730 million board feet in 1947 as compared to 232 million board feet in 2016.

4. McKinleyville only had 45 residents in 1947.

5. There were only 500 commercial fishermen in 1947.

Anyway, read the entire story which is linked to Gregg's name above. You will enjoy.