Korbel, Humboldt County, California

Korbel
Unincorporated community
Korbel Location in California
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	California
County	Humboldt County
Elevation	154 ft (47 m)

Korbel (formerly North Fork) is an unincorporated community in Humboldt County, California. It is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east-southeast of Blue Lake, at an elevation of 154 feet (47 m). The ZIP Code is 95550.

History

In 1881, the Korbel brothers, Antone, Frank, and Joseph Korbel of Sonoma County, California acquired the Arcata and Mad River Railroad. They extended the railroad up the North Fork Mad River, where they built the Humboldt Lumber Company sawmill in 1883 with a company town for worker housing. The sawmill was the first in Humboldt County to use a kiln for drying lumber. The town was originally called North Fork, but was renamed Korbel in 1891 with the arrival of the post office. The Korbel family sold their Mad River properties to the Northern Redwood Lumber Company in 1902. Rail passenger service ended in 1931. The sawmill closed in 1933, but was reopened in 1942. In 1956 Simpson Investment Company of Washington purchased the site. Rail connection with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad was abandoned in 1985. Sawmill operations have continued into the 21st century, but few residential or commercial structures remain.

The Old Arrow Tree

Old Arrow Tree

The Old Arrow Tree, California Historical Marker Number 164, is located 0.8 miles East of Korbel. It commemorates the site of an Indian treaty between the Hupa and the Karuk. As people passed they left arrows or other offerings in the bark, sometimes shooting the arrows into the tree.