Report by Christna Naify and Korin Wade
A history of Gualala, Mendocino County Gualala.. or water coming down place... was named by ....the Pomos who came frequently down from their homes on the ridges to gather seaweed and play here... The town of Gualala is situated in the furthest southwest corner of Mendocino county. As the eagle would fly it is 65 miles from Ukiah, its own county seat and 100 miles up the Pacific coast from San Francisco. Between the towns of Ukiah and Gualala there are two mountain ranges, and they are not easy to cross. Most residents prefer traveling down the coast to Santa Rosa---county seat of Sonoma---for almost everything they need, from grocery to medical. This has been true from the very beginning and still goes on today. Gualala has three prime attractions, the ocean, the river and the forests. The sea air is exhilarating which relieves heat and smog that people are trying to escape. "Never turn your back to the waves". "Watch out for sleeper waves". The ocean can hypnotize you and lure you in and can also pick you up and throw you up against the rocks. The river with its twists and bends in its course has been a great asset to the town enabling logging companies to float their logs to the old mill sites just south of the mouth of the river. There were even railroad trains brought in to help with the logging. The railroad company once promised to tie a route from Sausalito to Gualala but only provided service as far as Duncan Mills. People had to take stage coaches, horseback or go by foot to get to Gualala. The forests were and still are a support of the economic stability of the town.
There have been a variety of residents in this coastal town. There were three Native Tribes that occupied about 30 miles of the coast of northwest Sonoma county and extended inland for 13-15 miles. In the Gualala Region, the Kashia, the (southern Pomo)Yokiya and the (Central Pomo) Bokeya all lived peacefully trading abalone, obsidian and whatever else they would need or found use for. The Bokeya Indians primarily lived from the Gualala River north beyond Elk and inland as far as Bonneville. Tribes from the valley traveled to the coast to trade or obtain what they needed; tribes from the coast went inland visiting their relatives in the valleys. The Indians lived one with the earth. They knew what the land was able to give must be sufficient and what one gives back makes a difference. They carried out annual burnings in the fall to clear the forest of brush and encourage new growth, to make better living conditions for themselves, plants and animals. They made bows and arrows from rhododendron and the sinew from the animals. Elk horn was used as tools for splitting bark and had other uses. By 1976 the white civilization forced the Indians to merge with groups to the east. Pretty much loosing their individual tribes. There is a tribe in Manchester of the Boyeka as of 1980 that still maintain tribal customs and believe themselves very much in existence. There were many invaders of the coast. The Spanish brought their missions and forced the Indians into either Spanish missions or onto White reservations. The Russians were the most peaceable of all. The Russians trapped and were part of an international fur-trading company sent to the Sonoma coast to obtain sea otter pelts. They knew it was to their advantage to have the local Indians working with them and not against them as well as they were out numbered by the Indians.
When California became part of the Mexican Republic in 1822, the Kashia and Pomo people were in danger. The trade of Indian Slaves reached critical levels 1836. In the late 1840,s and 1850's Anglo-Americans also took Indians as slaves and made laborers out of them. In 1857 the United States Government referred to the native tribes as "wild". It seems that there is little recorded historical contact between the first White settlers and native tribes of the Gualala region, it is mainly because Indians here were eliminated by one means or another during the coastal development.
With the settling of the town by the white settlers Gualala grew and grew. It was primarily a logging town complete with a company store. The Gualala Hotel was the town's only hotel and saloon. The stage coach would stop letting off or boarding passengers to and from the City. They had heard of the new fishing paradise. Women were not allowed in the bar as well as any wild loggers. In 1903 the Gualala House burned to the ground, it was than on the north end of town. It is believed the fire was caused by a tramp who was bedded down in the attic. The new Hotel was built before the year was over down the road about a quarter-of-a-mile or so further south at the center of town. The Gualala Hotel is one of the few historical landmarks of the area. It is a sight to behold. It reminds people of the days of old..... back when......men.....