Geography
Humboldt Bay is the only deep water bay between the San Francisco Bay and Coos Bay, Oregon and the Port of Humboldt Bay is the only protected deep water port for large ocean-going vessels for the large region. Despite being the only protected harbor along nearly five hundred miles of coastline, the bay's location was undiscovered or at least unreliably charted for centuries after the first arrival of European explorers to the Pacific Coast. This is partially because it is extremely difficult to see from the ocean. The harbor opens to the sea through a narrow and historically treacherous passage, which was blocked from direct view due to sandbars now managed by jetties. Contributing to its isolation were features of the coastal mountain range which extends from the ocean approximately 150 miles inland and the common marine layer (fog) in addition to frequent clouds or rain.
In the central, most narrow portion of the bay (due north of Eureka), there are three islands: Indian Island, Woodley Island, and Daby Island.
Indian Island previously known as Gunther's Island is the site of National Historic Landmark #67 and one of the sites of the 1860 Wiyot Massacre.
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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