The Creepiest Ghost Town In Northern California Is The Stuff Nightmares Are Made Of
By Jill S.|Published May 12, 2017
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Jill S.
Author
Jill is a freelance writer from a small Northern California town and lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains. If you have an idea for an Only In Northern California story, email her at jsanford@onlyinyourstate.com.
Tucked in the misty redwood forests of Humboldt County is an eerie and unsettling abandoned town. The forests have begun to take over, and have slowly eradicated what once was the lively town of Falk. It was built around the Falk lumber mill in 1884 and the town thrived until the great depression forced the lumber mill to close down in 1937. Nature now grows where there once were houses, and walking through these spooky woods will have you checking over your shoulder with every step.
The historic town of Falk was once a thriving mill town of 400 lumber workers.
Because of the dense forest fog in this area, the sun rarely shines. And even if it does, heavy shadows drape the forest floor. It's practically the perfect setting for a supernatural thriller.
What was once Falk is now located in a preserved area of woods known as the Headwaters Forest Reserve. The 7,400 acre reserve is located 6 miles southeast of Eureka, CA.
The people who once made their lives here are commemorated in interpretive signs along the Elk River Trail, which follows an old logging road to the now vanished community.
Eureka was an hour away from Falk by stagecoach. Because of this, the town needed to be self-sufficient. The mill workers lived there with their families, so the company town established a cookhouse, post office, a general store, and a dance hall.
After it was abandoned in the wake of the Great Depression, people hunting through the town's remains and squatters in the buildings became a liability concern for the Sierra Pacific Lumber Company, the owners of the town site. Most of the buildings were torn down in 1979.
There is now a reconstructed train barn where there were once houses and the rest of the town, but no other indications of civilization are left. Rose bushes and English Ivy that are taking over the area and are the only indication that there were once families who lived here. The town of Falk has almost completely disappeared into the forest.
Not much is left but the stories and the ghosts of those who once lived here. Luckily for future generations, what little is still around is preserved for those of us who dare visit this creepy site.
