Timber Heritage Association
Preserving Humboldt County's Timber History since 1977
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About Us / Community Benefit
No substantial Timber Heritage Museum exists elsewhere. There are displays, there are artifacts, many small county or city level museums cover logging history as a part of a broader story, but none takes a comprehensive look at the history of the timber industry as it contributed to state or national development. The National Park Service, Pacific West Region, Partnerships Program Chief, Ray Murray has toured the area and met with Association representatives regarding the potential for establishing a Redwood Timber Heritage Area centered in the Eureka – Arcata area “ to link and interpret theme-related museums, historic sites, artifacts and locations.” He stated that “NPS staff recognize the distinctive importance of the Redwood timber heritage story, the quality of the historic resources in the area, and the enthusiasm and energy of the Timber Heritage Association and other stake holder groups. The Convention and Visitors Bureau wholeheartedly supported THA’s efforts to introduce the concept of a National Heritage Area several years ago. Currently the Convention and Visitors Bureau is taking the lead on this project.
Numerous studies and strategies indicate that economic benefits can result from attractions like a Timber Heritage Museum and associated excursion train. Prosperity! The North Coast Strategy for economic development designates tourism as one of Humboldt County’s base industries. It encourages development of major tourism attractions to encourage tourists to come to the area and to stay longer. The goals of this official strategy document propose heritage based tourism opportunities to diversify and foster development. The Convention and Visitors Bureau campaign in recent years has been to get visitors to “stay an extra day.” Tourists may simply travel through Eureka and other cities to get to redwood parks. If there were more for them to do in Eureka, for example, they might have reason to stay longer. The excursion train and museum feasibility studies estimate potential direct income of $506,390 for the museum and $473,080 for the train. The customary economic multiplier for Humboldt County of $3 re-circulated for every one dollar spent would equate to almost $3,000,000 circulating in the county. There would also be significant construction, restoration and start-up expenditures. Maybe most important to the economy would be indirect spending. This includes additional night hotel stays, extra meals, gasoline etc. All these monies would re-circulate as well. The Harbor District Redwood Marine Dock Feasibility Study speculated that the Timber Heritage Museum complex “may be an important marketing component for securing cruise ship calls by providing a desirable attraction for cruise passengers.”
Today museums can be instruments for community progress. In the past 25 years, museums have evolved from a nicety to an essential ingredient of community life. They are now part of the amenity package people expect to find in communities that care about citizen enrichment. And they help local residents appreciate their communities and aspire to the accomplishments and character traits that made their region great; they become wellsprings of pride in place, and in oneself. They thus contribute immensely to quality of life. People making location-based investments – where to establish or expand a business, relocate for employment, raise a family, vacation, retire – are impressed by cultural opportunities as well.