A Look Back at the Settlement of Garberville

Context, cont’d…. Much of what we know about Anton Garcia comes from a 1907 Humboldt Standard article where it was stated that his cabin was near the town gulch that used to run through town. It is thought that he lived near the Frost barn which became the McMillin barn that is seen in some early photos to the south of the Pythian building. The Schumacher children remembered having played in it after they arrived in 1872, and apparently it was still standing decades later at the turn of the century.
Garcia was a Hispanic trapper from New Mexico, one of Mario Machi’s histories shared that he had trapped at Shelter Cove and that he took his furs south to Ft. Ross. Apparently he had no difficulties living amongst our local Native Americans in the 1850’s. The early history of sparsely inhabited areas on the North Coast is barely known. However, it is known that in the last four months of 1859 Anton Garcia served with Jarboe’s Eel River Rangers who conducted a war of extermination on the Yuki of Round Valley, and some surrounding valleys. One of Jarboe’s two officers in the Eel River Rangers was Lt. James E. Wood. These names show up in a letter filed at the State Library that lists the second roster of men who served under Jarboe. I have often wondered if Garcia (spelled Garcilla on the list) told Wood about Garberville when they served together. Wood family histories tell two versions of Wood coming north in 1859, in one version he was saved from attack by his Native translater/companion near Harris where the indigenous locals turned him back. Speculation here: did Wood come north in the first part of 1859, or on a scout during his Eel River Ranger time? With few dots to work with, it is tempting for a historian to connect them. Jarboe, who was blatantly in defiance of his instructions from the Governor to only punish those Natives guilty of killing stock, stated his intention to come up the Mail Trail ridge and take his war on Indians to the headwaters of Mad River. Was this because of Wood’s report to him? Lt. Wood is mentioned as taking a group of prisoners from the Round Valley region to the Mendocino Reservation in one news article. A state library document described his patrolling the east side of Round Valley when, to his credit, rather than shooting one Indian on sight who was waving a piece of paper, Wood refrained. It was revealed that the Yuki man had a travel pass from the 6th US Infantry commander at Round Valley, Lt. Edward Dillon. James E. Wood earned $240 for his four months under Jarboe. Wilson Wood, his first son that he had with his Native partner Nellie, stated that Wood came north with a team of oxen around the first of May in 1860, and settled on Wood’s flat where the community park is now located.
Anton Garcia, and his brother Alvino/Alveno/Albin, were in the southern Humboldt area by the late 1860’s. Garber, while living down on the future Cal Trans flat, purchased Alvino’s homestead claim north of town for his stock range. Anton Garcia took up land on Dixon Butte which he later sold to the Dixon brothers. In 1871, one news article stated that a new settlement named Antonville was established, named after him. This was Garberville’s first real name, it is so named in new articles up until the first Post Office was established in 1874 with Jacob Garber as it first postmaster, at which time it became Garberville.