Finding Northern California

What makes Northern California an identity, beyond simple geography? What are the common ideas that forge such a diverse area together? What are the unique local traditions and events that are part of the tapestry of the region?
Northern California is large region, by itself larger than many states. Three of the boundaries of the area are easily discernible: The Pacific Ocean in the west, and the state lines in the north and east. But south, the end of Northern California is less clear. For a lot of people, it is a general line that connects the San Francisco Bay Area to Sacramento and on to Lake Tahoe. This may be simply the general area of influence these significant centers (San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, etc.) have on the less urban areas. However, there are certainly other people I have known from south of that arbitrary line who would argue. Certainly, the argument can be made that the southern line of Northern California aligns with the the southern borders of Monterey, Kings, Tulare and Inyo counties.
These are just lines on a map, however, I would like to take a few weeks and go find out how people view Northern California and how they define it, either as residents or visitors. I want to visit the community events, talk to the people and learn some of the history that makes Northern California an identity. Along with the interviews and narrative, I will include contemporary and historic photographs of this diverse region, from the coast to the Sierras.
Ultimately, the project is about the search for the meaning of community. Practically, it will allow visitors from out of the area to better understand the differences in regional identity in California (I'm looking at you, Germany, Russia and Greece). It will also be for the residents who live here and may see a different aspect of this fascinating place we call home.
"Finding Northern California" will result in a series of articles and a book for travelers and residents alike. I hope you will help. Use this link to donate or send me your thoughts on what it means to be from Northern California. Let me know where I should go and who I should talk to.
Writing is often a collaborative effort between two or more people. Collaborate with me in "Finding Northern California." Make a donation to my GoFundMe campaign through the button on the right or drop me a line here with suggestions or comments about Northern California.
Thanks for reading! ~MR

Where in the World is Melburne?

The heart of the Melburne community was located four miles west of the inland Mendocino County town of Comptche. Though the town itself comprised only a handful of buildings at its zenith, associated with the town of Melburne were the logging camps Camp B, Melburne Camp, and Camp 10. Also included in the greater Melburne area was the area known as Tom Bell Flat.

In his research for his book Big River was Dammed, W. Francis Jackson notes that “Camp B and what has been called the Melbourne [sic] Camp, located at the mouth of Feldman Gulch further down the stream, without a doubt have stories, particular news items that refer to one camp and should have been referred to the other one.”

Jackson was convinced that the two camps were in fact the same locality. Furthermore, the greater community was bonded together by not just the lumber industry, but by the formation of the Kaisen School District that focused a sparse population toward the little one-room schoolhouse at Melburne. By defining Melburne by the limits of the Kaisen School District, the township of Melburne encompasses a considerable area.

The scale of the farms adds to the impression that Melburne is merely a wide spot in the road. As logging and the trades associated with logging, such as tie making and blacksmithing, flourished, single men and families alike were attracted to Melburne. By 1890 a town thrived. Yet the thriving town was surrounded by extensive woodlands and small landholdings.

One example of a Melburne farmer with a seemingly disproportionate sized parcel was William Host, a German immigrant who was granted his land in 1869. The six hundred acre Host parcel was sold to John Regan Skiffington, a future postmaster of the Melburne Post Office and an immigrant from Yale, Michigan, in 1899. Skiffington sold his stake to Jack Olson in 1944. The Olsons also acquired the adjoining seventy-three acre Makela farm subsequent to their purchasing the Skiffington place, enlarging the original William Host holding. Finally, in 1946, Olson sold his stake to Frank and Mary Tunzi. Frank Tunzi was a rancher and contractor from Kings County, California, and would continue his vocation at the former Melburne property.

According a 1946 issue of the Fort Bragg Advocate-News the “Melburne ranch sold for $32,500.”

With such relatively large blocks of land privately owned, the population in Melburne was scattered and concentrated in areas closest to the most active areas of logging. Melburne was located near Big River and several camps existed along the river’s tributaries that flowed through what would be called Kaisen School District.

Early in the Twentieth Century, the names “Kaisen” and “Melburne” were used interchangeably by local newspapers to describe the rural district. The Mendocino Beacon, on Sept. 16, 1905, declared that “…a movement is on foot to increase the size of Melburne School District by adding 1120 acres from the Big River District, 640 acres from Comptche, and 80 acres from Spring Grove, which would enable Melburne to erect a centrally located school building on the main road about a mile east of George Feldman’s place.” This school would be built “…just west of Melburne, on the south side of the road. It had a wood stove and outhouses.

During the thriving years of the logging camp as many as fifty students attended Kaisen School.” Kaisen and Melburne schools were the same structure in the same location. The boundaries of the district dictated who belonged in the greater Melburne community.