Check out these old photos of the McKinleyville Totem Pole. Both of these are pinned to the bulletin board at the McKinleyville Chamber of Commerce office. There wasn’t any writing on the back of the photos, so I can’t credit the photographer.
The 500-year-old redwood was harvested by Pacific Lumber Co. and hauled to McKinleyville. Here it is going by Harbor Lanes in Eureka. I read somewhere that it holds the record for the longest log ever hauled on a California highway. It’s my understanding that the totem pole was carved by Ernest Pierson in 1962, so I’m guessing that the log was hauled in the same year.
Here’s a photo of the log being raised. It’s 160 feet tall and weighs 57,000 lbs., according to the sign at the bottom of the pole. The base of the totem pole is 214,000 lbs.
In my humble opinion, the McKinleyville Totem Pole is a fantastic piece of folk art. It’s under-appreciated.
It would be nice to have some tourist binoculars positioned at the other end of the parking lot so we can admire the whole totem pole instead of just its bottom. Or maybe build the world’s tallest staircase with a viewing platform at the top, then slide down the other side. We could hold annual Slinky races.
I like the ladder idea. And the slide.
a good story