Mendocino County
Point Arena
One of the "dog holes" that these ships could shelter in was known as Arena Cove. The name has something of a history that goes back into the sixteenth century. In 1543, the Spanish explorer Bartolome Ferrelo sailed by, noted the projection of sand out into the surrounding ocean, and named it Cabo de Fortunas. In 1775, while the rebellious American colonists were quarreling with Great Britain on the other side of the continent, Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra sailing under the 
Mexican flag on the Sonora, renamed it Punta Delgado. (We do not have any record of what the Russians called the cove, but their small ships and kayaks certainly used it during the great otter hunt of the early nineteenth century) Later mariners were more prosaic and began calling it Barra de Arena - literally "the sand bar." Over time, for reasons unknown, this morphed into Punta Arena (Sand Point). Today the town is called Point Arena and the harbor is called Arena Cove.
The very first industry to be established during the gold rush was probably egg hunting. Eggs fetched a high price in San Francisco and there were virtually no chickens to supply them. Waterborne egg hunters began raiding the coastal rookeries of wild birds all up and down the coast. The eggs were supplemented with venison and elk meat where possible. Very soon, however, the great forest that stretched north from the San Francisco Bay began to be harvested and lumber became king in Point Arena. At the height of the timber boom Point Arena had fourteen saw mills in operation. In 1858, Julius Garwood Morse, a doctor from New York, arrived and took up the duties as Post 
Master of the Puntas Arena Post Office. As early as 1870 the first Point Arena Lighthouse was constructed - in itself an acknowledgment of the significance of the area. In 1908 the City of Point Arena was incorporated. Dairy farms were established up and down the coast to help feed San Francisco, and, as land transportation improved east of San Francisco, coastal dairy products began to be distributed throughout the interior of California and Nevada. Land communication in the vicinity of Point Arena was difficult and Arena Cove remained the focus of transportation for the region well into the twentieth century. The forests were pretty well stripped off of the land by the start of the twentieth century and replaced with small family farms and a small fishing industry - all centered on Arena Cove.
During the twentieth century the statewide economy continued to change and the City of Point Arena fell on hard times. A few family owned dairy farms managed to hold on through the 1906 earthquake and the depression, but they were largely self-sufficient and the businesses within the city went into serious decline. Land transportation along the coast improved and the importance of Arena Cove was correspondingly much diminished. Land values declined and the weather pattern that included a lot of fog and rain discouraged the retirement settlement that stimulated the coastal economy further to the south in the middle of the century. The nascent fishing industry was hit by a decline in fish populations and increased government regulation. Today, Point Arena is home to one of the hardiest collections of individualists to be found anywhere along the coast of California. Middle class America tends to sometimes classify these kinds of people as "hippies." This is a vast oversimplification. There are a lot of unconventional folks living in Point Arena and a lot of them are very talented, imaginative, and industrious. There is virtually no effort to encourage tourism and it is hard for an outsider to get to know them. Highway One runs right through town and most travelers just keep on going without stopping. Too bad because there is a lot of neat things to do if you are not in too much of a hurry.
Pharmacy Mural
How about a visit to a wildlife preserve that is attempting to rescue endangered African animals? Or, if you are a bit more athletic, a hike for miles along a beautiful deserted beach or a ride on one of the best waves on the entire north coast, or a bit of underwater adventure with snorkle or dive tank. If you are interested in an excellent pizza try the pizzeria at the wharf or maybe a magnificent desert at Franny's Cup and Saucer. Cinema buffs must take in at least one movie at the Arena Theater. It is a refurbished classic movie house and shows both first run movies and classic cinema. For those who actually want to get away from it all you might look into staying in the historic home of the wharf master of Arena Cove or perhaps where the Coast Guardsmen who risked their lives to save mariners caught in the storms off shore lived. Also a visit to the Point Arena Lighthouse is a must. And then we need to talk about birding and tide-pooling and wild flowers - all cost free and priceless.
