You are here
Northwestern California Newspapers - The Southern Humboldt Region
A brief newspaper-focused history
The Redwood Record is described by Frances Miller in the 1976 commemorative issue/supplement to the Redwood Record as the first and only newspaper to be published in the Garberville area. This newspaper began in 1935 and continued until 1995 when it, like the Union, was terminated by the publisher of the Humboldt Beacon who had purchased both papers. Unfortunately, the only issues of the Redwood Record currently available are from 1962-1995.
By February 1969, however, another publishing effort, the South County Sun, had begun in Redway. It went through a series of name changes as it moved to Rio Dell, becoming the Humboldt Independent and then the Humboldt Independent and Sun. As few issues have been preserved, it is difficult to determine the actual dates of publication.
A different style of journalism emerged towards the end of the 1970s in Southern Humboldt, reflecting the interests of newcomers to the area. Star Root was published from 1977-1982 and then resurrected from 1987-1991, slightly changing its name to Star Route in 1988. A similar paper, Country Activist, was published in Redway from November 1984-November 1990. Its spirit was continued up in Arcata as the North Star News in 1991. More recently, Garberville produced the Independent, fondly referred to as the "Indie," beginning in 1997 and ending in 2016.
The Southern Humboldt Life & Times began in Garberville in 1987, ceasing only in April 2004. Its demise has been succeeded, however, by a new title, Redwood Times, published since July 2004 by the Times-Standard's parent company, MediaNews Group.
The Northwest California Newspapers Website is managed by Special Collections located in the Cal Poly Humboldt Library