Rio Dell Murals: Portrait of a NorCal Small Town

The summer before last, when we were on our way to the North Coast, we passed by a small town nestled in Northern California’s Redwood Empire. And if you have driven through the enchanting Avenue of the Giants, you’ve probably passed by the city of Rio Dell. And somewhere in your subconscious mind might even have recorded these Rio Dell murals.

And if you generally tend to notice public art, your eyes must have surely caught this Rio Dell Mural that wraps around a building in the town, and features a large group of people. And if you remember this one, chances are that you were intrigued by this large piece of art.

Now, whether you have seen it or not, I’m sure it would be interesting to learn that this mural is a record of the history of this town in Humboldt County in California. Featured here are over a hundred people who lived right here in this town and made it what is today.

Rio Dell, I hear, was once called Wildwood and this town became home to Italian and Portuguese immigrants who worked as employees of a large lumber mill near here.

Coming back to the large artwork, the mural is work is of Julia (Morgan) Fordyce. According to her own account of this work, there were supposed to paintings of around 50 people here on the wall of the town’s Community Resource Center. However, by the end of the project, several people of the town had come to her with photographs of their ancestors, contributing to the expansion of this historical showpiece on Wildwood Avenue. And many of them contributed to the expense of the artwork, too.

Rio Dell-Scotia Chamber of Commerce is said to have sponsored this mural, along with Rio Dell’s Facade Project. Later, as the mural grew in size, the people who submitted pictures of their families and pets did so along with a fee.

If you’d like to see these murals when you’re passing the area, you could look for the Community Resource Center in Rio Dell.

Another mural I spotted not far from Julia Morgan’s work was this one of the Ringtail. The Ringtail, Ringtail Cat or Miner’s Cat is a nocturnal animal belonging to the raccoon family and often found in wooded areas. And yes, they do live in these parts of California.

Have you ever spotted one of these Miner’s Cats?

Rio Dell

The beginnings of the settlement date back to the latter part of the 19th century. However, it was only in the 1960s that Rio Dell became an incorporated town. Rio Dell gets its name from Spanish Rio meaning river and the English word Dell or wooded valley.

This town beside the Eel River was once the home of the Wiyot, Nongatl, and Mattole tribes before the lumber industry here around brought in immigrant settlers.

Linking to–
Monday Mural on Colourful World

More —
Murals on Tipsy from the TRIP
… from California’s Redwood Empire