Table Bluff (California) facts for kids

Table Bluff (called Giloulh by the Wiyot people) is a flat area of land in Humboldt County, California. It ends at the ocean with a tall, 50-meter (165-foot) cliff. From this cliff, you can see the Eel River delta, the southern part of Humboldt Bay, and the wide Pacific Ocean. Table Bluff is located between Humboldt Bay to the north and the Eel River to the south. It looks over about 36 square kilometers (9,000 acres) of wild land managed by different government groups. It is about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south of Eureka and 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) west of US Highway 101. Table Bluff County Park lets people visit the South Spit. This park is also a popular spot for hang-gliding and paragliding. A special type of flower, the western lily (Lilium occidentale), which is an endangered species, grows here at the Table Bluff Ecological Reserve.

Table Bluff's Past

Early explorers of the area gave Table Bluff different names like Ridge Point and Brannan Bluff. But by 1851, the name Table Bluff became the one everyone used. Seth Kinman was one of the first people to live here. Because its soil is very rich, Table Bluff has been home to a small farming community since the 1850s. Today, you can mostly see hay fields and cattle ranches on the bluff.

The Wiyot Tribe's Home

A special area for the native Wiyot tribe is also located here. This place, called Table Bluff Rancheria, was created in 1908. It first started with 8 hectares (20 acres) of land given by a local church. Later, in 1981, the government bought another 41 hectares (102 acres) for the tribe. This happened because of an agreement from a legal case.

The Table Bluff Lighthouse

In 1892, a lighthouse was built on Table Bluff. It replaced an older lighthouse that was on the North Spit. By 1915, a fog horn and a Navy wireless telegraphy (which later became a radio) station were also set up. This area eventually became a Coast Guard facility at the very edge of the bluff. The lighthouse was no longer used after 1972. This was because new, automatic lights were put in at the entrance to Humboldt Bay. In 1987, the entire lighthouse tower was moved to Woodley Island, which is across from the Eureka waterfront.

Lighthouse Ranch and Community

In 1970, a minister named Norman Kenneth Smith bought 3.2 hectares (8 acres) of the extra land from the Coast Guard. He renamed it Lighthouse Ranch. This ranch became part of a larger group called Gospel Outreach. The "Ranch" was a place where young adults could go to find spiritual guidance and support. This group later became Gospel Outreach of Eureka. The lighthouse itself is not staffed by people anymore. In 2005, the California Coastal Conservancy started the process of buying 2.2 hectares (5.5 acres) of this property.