Weott in Humboldt County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Mother Nature Cannot Be Tamed

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 30, 2021

1. Mother Nature Cannot Be Tamed Marker

Inscription. Periodic winter flooding is not uncommon along California's Northcoast, and several floods have been catastrophic!

Try to imagine standing at this exact spot while 33 feet of river water rages overhead. Such was the scene in 1964, when a disastrous flood devastated the bustling community of Weott.

In just this area, more than fifty buildings were destroyed.

The conditions were set for the flood when a cold storm left heavy snows in the mountains. This was followed by a warm storm, melting the snow pack, and dumping a reported 32 inches of rain in three days.

During the flood, at Fernbridge about thirty miles downstream, the river's flow was greater than the average flow of the Mississippi and Columbia Rivers combined.

Rain Rain Don't Go Away!
Average annual rainfall for this area is about sixty-five inches, but amounts of as much as one hundred-twenty inches have been recorded. Coast Redwoods flourish with this life-giving rainfall. It's best when it doesn't come all at once.

Caption: Walk around and find the old sidewalks! Weott's downtown was a bustling place before the 1964 flood.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1964.

Location. 40° 19.494′

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N, 123° 55.564′ W. Marker is in Weott, California, in Humboldt County. It is at the intersection of Avenue of the Giants (California Route 254) and Lum Street, on the right when traveling north on Avenue of the Giants. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Weott CA 95571, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s North Coast,

specifically on the Coast Ranges,

and in the Klamath Mountains.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast

and in the Pacific Northwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Humboldt Redwoods State Park (here, next to this marker); Redwood Time-ring (approx. 1½ miles away); Laura Perrott Mahan & James P. Mahan (approx. 1½ miles away); Old Giant Redwood Tree (approx. 1.6 miles away); The Tangled Roots of Founders Grove (approx. 1.9 miles away); "Ltcuntadun" (approx. 2.1 miles away); Swept Away (approx. 2.1 miles away); Giant Tree (approx. 3.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Weott.

Also see . . . 1964 Flood — Eel River, Pepperwood and Weott. Slideshow by The North Coast Journal of the catastrophic December 1964 flood. (Submitted on July 8, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Craig Baker

2. Mother Nature Cannot Be Tamed Marker

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 30, 2021

3. Flood pole

This pole marks the high-water mark of the 1964 flood.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 8, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 8, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 635 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 8, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on September 8, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 3. submitted on July 8, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.