James R Garrison

Scotia and Rio Dell James R Garrison

On the banks of the Eel River, amongst Northern California's towering redwood forests, lie the towns of Scotia and Rio Dell. Their histories inseparably intertwined, these two towns formed a larger community supporting the needs of local settlers and industry. Scotia, constructed by the Pacific Lumber Company in the 1880s, stands as a pristine example of the once-prevalent company town in America. The small farming community of Rio Dell flourished along with its sister city and grew to accommodate the needs of an expanding workforce in Humboldt's redwood lumber industry. Where Scotia was orderly and tightly controlled by Pacific Lumber Co. management, Rio Dell developed a reputation for its remote setting, rowdy lumbermen, and bootlegged whiskey.