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Rio Dell Journal - Places to Go and Things to Do

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Where in the world is Rio Dell? Small and off the main highway, Rio Dell is a bit more than a gas station at a wide spot in the road.

Populated with 2,900 people and located on a scenic bend of the Eel River 25 miles south of Eureka in the heart of the redwood empire, Rio Dell, known as "The Warmhearted City," is rich in pioneer history. It is surrounded by majestic wooded bluffs to the north and east and far-reaching redwood forests. The small town has a distinct alpine village atmosphere.

Who lives there? Rio Dell is inhabited by timber-industry people, artists, writers, and a growing number of retirees. And just across the Eel River it has its own twin city called Scotia, which is a company town owned by the Pacific Lumber Co. In fact, there is a "Rio Dell-Scotia Chamber of Commerce" in Rio Dell that serves both towns.

Scotia, A Company Town

Established in the 1880s by the Pacific Lumber Company (PALCO), Scotia is one of the few remaining company towns in America. The lumber company was first incorporated in 1869 on 6,000 acres of timberland along the banks of the Eel River, which has abundant stands of Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Douglas fir and other species. Today, PALCO operates four mills, two in Scotia; and it owns and manages 200,000 acres of prime timber-growing land.

The company's mercantile store once sold all the goods needed by its mill workers. Today, Scotia has a charming and modern redwood shopping center designed to match the architecture of its historic buildings.

What Can You Do There?

In the immediate vicinity of Rio Dell and Scotia, one can picnic, camp, hike, bike off road, or fish in the Eel River. Other attractions nearby are the Victorian village of Ferndale (15 miles), ocean fishing, surfing, clamming, beach combing (20 miles), scenic back-roads to explore, and more.

The Scotia Bluffs that surround Rio Dell to the north and east are tall out-crops of shales, sandstone and mudstone that are rich in fossils-marine animals deposited in an ancient bay 15 million years ago. The out-crops hold mostly specimens of mollusks (bivalves and gastropods), but other fossils have been found including some plants, turtles, sand dollars, starfish and agatized whale bone.

The Scotia Bluffs, popular with rock hounds, fossil collectors and geology buffs, can be reached from an access road in Scotia, just across the steel girder bridge that connects the two towns.

Free sawmill tours are offered by Pacific Lumber on weekdays, as well as a tour of its fisheries exhibit. These self-guided tours are very popular with visitors and locals alike. Tour passes are obtainable at the third mill gate going south on Main Street in Scotia. And there is free parking nearby.

There are three major Rio Dell-Scotia festivals each year: a Crab Cioppino Feed during the second week in February, Cinco de Mayo, un festivo comunidad on May fifth, and Wildwood Days on the first weekend in August. A highlight of Wildwood Days is the ever-popular Great American Duck Race. Call the Chamber at 764-3436 for more details on Wildwood Days, the Great American Duck Race and other local events, or visit its web site at www.humboldt1.com/~rdsccc/index.html

Other local attractions include river rafting, canoe and kayak touring, the Gem/Mineral Museum (five miles north), a Demonstration Forest (two miles south), and gateway to The Avenue of the Giants, a 32-mile scenic alternate to U.S. Highway 101 that begins five miles south.

Cooled by ocean breezes that come up the Eel River Valley, Rio Dell and Scotia are comfortable in summer with occasional fog. Winters are mild with 40 to 50 inches of rain typically in the November to April period.

One-time article Copyright 1999 by Humboldt Senior Resource Center.