Little River, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Little River is a small town in Mendocino County, California, located two miles south of the town of Mendocino and running along the coast on California Highway 1. The town limits contain a few hundred people who live within a few miles from the coast. The community is named after Little River, which reaches the ocean in Van Damme State Park close to the town center. This center, which is along Highway 1, contains a small store which acts as gas station, post office, grocery store, and restaurant space. The town also has a small airport, Little River Airport, which is a few miles inland. A tourist destination, Little River is home to several boutique inns, such as the Little River Inn, Dennen's Victorian Farmhouse, Glendeven, and The Heritage House. The Little River Area has two state parks, lots of ocean access and diverse recreational opportunities.
[edit] History
According to the History of Mendocino County California (history/Mendocino/mendo1880-404.htm), Little River was first settled by Lloyd and Samuel Bell, and the Moore Brothers. Shortly after, in 1856, W.H. Kent purchased the Bell tract and until 1862 the place was known as Bell’s Harbor and Kent’s Landing. In that year Ruel Stickney, Silas Coombs, and Tapping Reeves built a mill here, which provided the stimulus for the formation the town of Little River. This coastal mill town grew with the success of the mill so that eventually a schoolhouse, post house, shipyard, hotels, stores and blacksmith shops all established themselves here. Little River prospered in a similar to the many towns on the Mendocino Coast did until the nearby and inland timber stands faltered. In the case of Little River, the mill eventually closed in 1893. The loss of the mill gradually shrunk the town rapidly and since that time it has served mainly as a tourist destination due to its beaches and Van Damme State Park, which the Little River runs through. The first road that ran through this area was the Anderson Valley and Big River Wagon Road (1966 GLO Plat). This road was likely widened and altered over the years until it was eventually added to the State Highway System.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
Incorporated places: Ukiah (County seat) • Fort Bragg • Point Arena • Willits
Census-designated places: Covelo • Laytonville • Mendocino • Talmage
Other unincorporated communities: Albion • Boonville • Elk • Gualala • Little River • Philo • Redwood Valley • Potter Valley
State parks: Big River • Caspar Headlands • Greenwood Beach • Hendy Woods • Jug Handle • MacKerricher • Maillard Redwoods • Manchester • Mendocino Headlands • Mendocino Woodlands • Montgomory Woods • Navarro River Redwoods • Point Cabrillo • Russian Gulch • Schooner Gulch • Sinkyone Wilderness • Smithe Redwoods • Standish-Hickey • Standley • Van Damme • Westport Union Landing
