Samoa - Prison Camp

Have you ever been to Samoa? Samoa California, the area formerly known as Brownville, located on a peninsula 10 miles long and 1 mile wide protecting Humboldt Bay. It feels like a barrier island taking the brunt of the force of the Pacific and leaving the bay with a lake like quality.

There is a 300 acre recreation park and you can surf, fish, ATV, hike and several other fun activities. The dunes which a few upon closer inspection are weapons bunkers left over from WWII when the Coast Guard maintained the area for surveillance of the Pacific Coastline. 

 It was also a seasonal food gathering site for the Wiyot Indians who gathered shell fish and piled up the empty shells onto mounds you can still see scattered about.

Samoa is about 23 feet above sea level at its highest point but, the average is three feet.

There are the remains of an abandoned lighthouse in the wetland area that was built in 1850.  The area was also used as a prisoner of war camp for Native Americans in 1862 during the Bald Hills War. A sawmill was established and at the onset of WWI an emergency shipyard was constructed and 7 wooden steamships were built between 1917 and 1919.

The north jetty is constructed from concrete breakers known as dolos which actually look more like jacks from the childhood game. The USS Milwaukie ran aground during a rescue mission and was broken up by the pounding surf as did the submarine USS H-3 which was rescued and at least 25 other ships. The approach to Humboldt Bay is known as the graveyard of the Pacific.  Humboldt Bay is one of the most dangerous harbor entrances in California. It is only .25 mile wide, extreme tidal currents, constantly shifting sand bars and unpredictable weather with severe fog combine to make it a terrifying run through the gauntlet.

Most of these waves in these photos were well over 20 feet high. They would appear to be making a straight run down the jetty and then all of a sudden make a left turn and slam into the wall where we were standing. The sound was like claps of thunder. We watched for well over an hour. I have never seen anything like it and I have seen many jetties. 

 If you get the chance…..