1806History
Despite a well-documented 1806 sighting by Russian explorers, the bay was not definitively known by Europeans until an 1849 overland exploration provided a reliable accounting o...
1850History
The timing of this discovery led to the May 13, 1850, founding of the settlement of Eureka on its shore by the Union and Mendocino Exploring (development) companies.
1853Military
Army on January 30, 1853, to establish peaceful relations between Native Americans, gold-seekers and settlers, often at the expense of the life and liberty of the Native people.
1854Economy
By 1854, after only four years since the founding, seven of nine mills processing timber into marketable lumber on Humboldt Bay were within Eureka.
1856Government
By the time the charter for Eureka was granted in 1856, busy mills inside the city had a daily production capacity of 220,000 board feet.
1858Architecture
In 1858, the first of many ships built in Eureka was launched, beginning an industry that spanned scores of years.
1860Crime
These tensions between Native people and settlers eventually led to the massacre on Tuluwat Island in 1860.
1884Architecture
The home was built between 1884 and 1886 by renowned 19th-century architects Newsom and Newsom for lumber baron William M.
1885Disaster
In February 1885, Eureka City Councilman David Kendall was caught in the crossfire of two rival Chinese gangs and killed.
1889History
The wettest "rain year" was from July 1889 to June 1890 with 73.30 in (1,861.8 mm) and the driest from July 1976 to June 1977 with 17.56 in (446.0 mm).
1906Disaster
The original Queen Anne-style Murphy home in San Francisco was completely destroyed by the fire resulting from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
1907History
The most snowfall in one month was 6.9 in (18 cm) in January 1907.
1920Architecture
The hospital was first opened in 1920 and was operated by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Orange until 2016.
1922Architecture
By 1922, the Redwood Highway was completed, providing for the first reliable, direct overland route for automobiles from San Francisco.
1931Infrastructure
By 1931, the Eureka Street Railway operated fifteen streetcars over twelve miles (19 km) of track.
1953History
Eureka's first television station was KIEM, which signed on the air on October 25, 1953.
1955Disaster
However, historic 100-year dramatic weather events such as the Christmas Week flood of 1955 and, especially, the Christmas flood of 1964, which severely damaged the region, may ...
1956History
Commercial Pacific oyster aquaculture in Humboldt Bay produced an average of 7,600,000 pounds (3,400,000 kg) of oysters from 1956 to 1965 an average of 844,444 pounds (383,033 k...
1958History
Additional stations signed on in the years following that first telecast, beginning in 1958, including KVIQ-LD and KAEF-TV.
1959History
The anti-Chinese ordinance was repealed in 1959.
1962Disaster
The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 downed trees and caused a surplus in the domestic timber market, which caused increased shipping to foreign markets.
1970Architecture
Most post-1970 houses were built in formerly clear cut forested areas.
1973Government
The Eureka Heritage Society, a local architectural preservation group founded in 1973, has been instrumental in protecting and preserving many of Eureka's fine Victorians.
1980History
The largest recorded in the area was the 7.2 Mw event on November 8, 1980.
1981History
Area catches historically include, among other species, salmon, tuna, Dungeness crab, and shrimp, with historic annual total fishing landings totaling about 36,000,000 pounds (1...
1987Architecture
The mall features over 70 stores and opened in 1987.
1990Infrastructure
After 1990, the global log market declined, and exports fell at the same time as Pacific Northwest log prices increased; leading buyers to seek less expensive logs from Canada a...
1991History
During the span of 1991 to 2001, timber harvest peaked in 1997.
1992Disaster
This was the largest recent earthquake since the April 25–26, 1992 sequence.
1995Architecture
These new houses were built as a result of the Eureka Community Plan of 1995 in attempt to bring locals close to centers of recreation and encourage community interaction.
2000History
=== 2000 Census data ===
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,128 people.
2002History
The greatest monthly precipitation was 23.21 in (589.5 mm) in December 2002.
2003Government
The Eureka Reporter, founded in 2003, became a daily in 2006, began publishing five days per week at the end of 2007, and permanently closed in November 2008.
2004History
In 2004, the City of Eureka voted unanimously to return 45 acres (18 ha) of Tuluwat Island to the Wiyot Tribe as an act of reparation, representing a historic victory for the La...
2006Economy
On August 26, 2006, the Blue Ox Millworks launched KKDS-LP, a low power FM station focused on youth and community issues.
2007History
== Notable people ==
== See also ==
== Notes ==
== References ==
== Further reading ==
Ray Raphael; Freeman House (January 1, 2007).
2008Culture
On November 3, 2008, a low-power part 15 AM radio station named Old Glory Radio 1650 AM went on the air.
2009History
The North Coast Journal, a regional weekly, moved from Arcata to Eureka in 2009.
2010Infrastructure
In 2010, between 100 and 120 commercial fishing vessels listed Eureka as homeport.
2012Disaster
In November 2012, the hospital completed required earthquake safety standards upgrades.
2013Education
The Yurok Tribe's language revitalization program is seen by many as the most successful of its kind in California, and as of 2013, Eureka High School has the largest Yurok lang...
2016History
In June 2016, the California Attorney General's office approved merging the St.
2019History
In 2019 Eureka named a park named after its sister city.
2022Disaster
On December 20, 2022, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Ferndale, California in Humboldt County, United States at 10:34:25 UTC, or 2:34 a.m.
2024History
It is slated for completion in the fall of 2024.
2026Culture
This airport is primarily served by United Airlines, with Alaska Airlines and Breeze Airways starting services in 2026.