Publication Date
4-12-1988
Abstract
In compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, an initial cultural resources study was undertaken to address the potential adverse effects of proposed sewer line rehabilitation on significant prehistoric, historic and contemporary Native American cultural resources within Ferndale, California. The study area consisted of 11.27 miles of existing sewer line, largely buried beneath city streets, including 4.3 miles to be replaced under Clean Water Grant funding currently being requested by the city.
No prehistoric archaeological sites were located during the survey, nor were any identified during consultations with representatives of the Wiyot Indian community. Ethnographic research and settlement pattern data for the Wiyot, coupled with a reconstruction of the Ferndale vicinity before significant land alterations, suggest, however, a potential for buried prehistoric camp or special activity sites in the Ferndale vicinity, especially in the elevated south end of town near Francis Creek.
Historic research and survey findings implied that there is a low potential for discovering potentially significant historic features such as trash dumps associated with specific households or businesses, during sewer line rehabilitation work. The Victorian Era house at 860 Herbert Street is located over the sewer line: preliminary findings indicate that this structure is architecturally significant, contributing to the historical and architectural integrity of the community as a whole.
Research into the construction of the present sewer system, which began in 1900, implied that while some original segments may exist, the system was not innovative or unique in terms of National Register of Historic Places criteria..