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Loleta, California

View of Humboldt Bay from the Table Bluff ReservationThe small town of Loleta, California and the nearby Table Bluff Reservation are located one the Pacific Coast a few miles south of the city of Eureka.  It is a beautiful, rural area of dairy pastures and bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Humboldt Bay,

About The Wiyot Tribe

The Wiyot people have inhabited the coast areas of this part of California for thousands of years, where they hunted, fished and gathered roots and berries.  At the beginning of European-American settlement in 1850 there were probably 2,000 Wiyot people living in the Humboldt Bay area.  Within 10 years the population was deciminated, with perhaps 200 survivors remaining.  In February, 1862, most of the Wiyot people were gathered on an island in Humboldt Bay for annual ceremonial dancing.  In the early morning hours of February 26, a group of settlers, armed with hatchets, clubs and knives, attacked the sleeping Wiyot, murdering an estimated 200.  Because many of the men had left the island to gather food on the mainland, the victims were mainly women, children and the elderly.  (Settlers also attached two other Indian villages that night, killing an additional 100 people.)  Source:  Wiyot Tribe Website.

Following the massacres, surviving Wiyot people were forcibly removed to a series of Northern California reservations.  In 1920, a 20 acre rancheria was established on low-lying tidal lands near the current location of the Table Bluff Reservation.  In 1961, the tribe was "terminated" by the Federal government.  Following a successful lawsuit brought by the Wiyot, the termination was ruled unlawful and tribal status was reinstated.  In 1991, the current 88-acre reservation was established.

Today there are about 300 tribal members.  Some live on the Table Bluff Reservation, where there are 34 homes and a community center.

The Wiyot Tribal CenterIndian Island Sacred Site

Through purchases and a grant of land by the City of Eureka, the Wiyot tribe now owns a portion of Indian Island where the 1860 massacre occurred and where, for thousands of years, Wiyot gathered for annual ceremonial dances.  The tribe is engaged in cleaning up the island, where there is some toxic contamination plus lots of discarded equipment.  Habitat restoration is taking place, and the tribe has build a ceremonial pavilion and an environmental and cultural interpretive center.

Learn more about the Wiyot Tribe by visiting their website.

Our Work on the Reservation

Sierra Service Project will do a variety of general home repair work on houses on the reservation and also on some tribal residences in the off-reservation towns.  Because of the high winds and wet winters, there is a big need for weatherization work on many homes and for repairs of water-damaged walls and floors.  We also expect to do some painting and roof repairs.

We are very excited that we have been invited to participate in some of the work underway on Indian Island.  Teams will also work on habitat restoration and cleanup on Indian Island, and will get a chance to learn about the history of the island and the restoration work that is taking place there.  Our experience doing this type of work in the past is that youth teams have a lot of fun and get a lot of satisfaction out of it.

Loleta Elementary SchoolWhere We Will Stay

We will stay at the Loleta Elementary School, located about 5 miles from the reservation.  The school has a gymnasium where we will sleep and do program.  There are gathering areas at the school, as well as soccer fields and basketball courts.  We have been invited by the tribe to cooperate with them in a community breakfast and lunch program, so we will be eating those meals on the reservation at the tribal center along with children and youth from the reservation!  We have done this at several other sites and it has always been a great experience of interaction with our hosts.  Dinners will be at the school.

Site Emergency Phone Number:  (916) 273-8542

Mailing Address:  Send all mail to:

    Camper Name

    Sierra Service Project

    General Delivery

    Loleta, CA 95551

 

Driving Directions

The tiny town of Loleta is located on Highway 101 about 10 miles south of the city of Eureka.  From the 101, take the Loleta Drive exit and go west (towards the coast).  Loleta School is located on the left side of Loleta Drive less than 1 mile from the freeway.

View the Google Map of this location

 

 
Sierra Service Project
PO Box 992, Carmichael, CA 95609    Phone: 916-488-6441    Fax: 916-484-0917
Copyright © 2007 Sierra Service Project
Last modified: August 22, 2008