Crannell (formerly, Bullwinkel, Bulwinkle, Crannel, and Camp Nine) is a former settlement in Humboldt County,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It is located southeast of

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, at an elevation of . The location was formerly a

company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...

for

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

workers of the Little River Redwood Company, organized in 1893 by owners in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

and western

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Company headquarters were in Tonawanda. The California sawmill commenced operations in 1908. The post office opened in 1909 was named for property owner Conrad Bulwinkle. In 1922 the community was renamed for Little River Redwood Company president Levi Crannell. The town was served by the

extension of the

Northwestern Pacific Railroad The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a regional shortline railroad utilizing a stretch of the 271 mile mainline between Schellville and Windsor with freight and Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter trains. Formerly, it was a r ...

from 1911 to 1933. Little River Redwood Company also built the Humboldt Northern Railway to transfer company freight along the Pacific coast directly to

Samoa, California Samoa (formerly Brownsville) is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California. It is located northwest of Eureka, at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m). Samoa is located in the northern peninsula of Humboldt Bay and is the site of the Sa ...

. A 1925 map of Crannell presents the various saw and planning mills, as well as dams and blockades on the Little River for logging transport. The town itself featured tenement housing, offices, and a General Store. Yarding crew in woods at Camp Seven

The Hammond-Little River Redwood Company, Ltd. was formed in a 1931 merger with Hammond Lumber Company. Crannell was called Camp Nine by the Hammond Lumber Company. When Northwestern Pacific Railroad terminated service north of Arcata in 1933, their line through Fieldbrook was abandoned. Hammond Lumber Company took over some of the tracks north of Crannell using the Humboldt Northern Railway connection to Samoa until that was dismantled in 1948 following major

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

damage to timber trestles on the logging branches north of Crannell in 1945. A portion of the former Humboldt Northern Railway grade through McKinleyville was converted to the Hammond Trail. Hammond became a subsidiary of

Georgia-Pacific Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and ...

Corporation in 1956. Worker housing was razed in 1969, but the site remained in use as an equipment storage and maintenance base for

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

operations of subsequent landowners. The site was transferred to

Louisiana-Pacific Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, commonly known as "LP", is an American building materials manufacturer. It was founded in 1973 and is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. LP pioneered the U.S. production of oriented strand board (OSB) panels ...

Corporation during a

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction o ...

action initiated in 1972.

Simpson Timber Company The Simpson Investment Company is a company based in McCleary, Washington in the US Pacific Northwest that specializes in manufacture of forest products. Founded as a logging company in 1890 by Sol Simpson, the company now functions as a holding ...

purchased the property on June 30, 1998, from Robert Lee and Patti Balke, whose family owned the land and lived there since the 1800s. Subsequently this became

Green Diamond Resource Company The Simpson Investment Company is a company based in McCleary, Washington in the US Pacific Northwest that specializes in manufacture of forest products. Founded as a logging company in 1890 by Sol Simpson, the company now functions as a holding ...

around 2004. Green Diamond refers to the forested land as "Crannell Tree Farm".EMILY GURNON
A Gnawing Problem
'' North Coast Journal'' Oct 14 2004 Trinidad 1945

References

Company towns in California Populated places established in 1893 Populated places disestablished in 1969 {{HumboldtCountyCA-geo-stub