Loleta, California
The
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.
Indian
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.
Where
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
