Dyerville, from California State Parks News and Views 1944

From California State Parks employee newsletter News and Views  Volume 2, #11. November, 1944

A Ghost Town Wobbles

At the confluence of the South Fork and main Eel Rivers, on the north bank, huddle the remnants of the once promising village of Dyerville. Three decades ago a thriving community, trade center and stage station of this region--a landmark to travelers on the Redwood Highway--Dyerville now is little more than a place name.

Apparently destined to become the center of logging operations in the Bull Creek-Dyerville forest, its bubble burst in 1919 with the first efforts to save this, one of the world's magnificent forests. Eventually, Dyerville became State park headquarters for the district. Oddly, the store that once sold axes and snuff dispensed picture cards and candy bars.

Possibly, Paul Bunyan stirred restlessly when he realized that a logging center, born of adventure, was turning "sissy". So Paul spent rainy winter days wading in the Eel River. The waters rose 42 feet at Dyerville. When Paul stepped out, the waters dropped so rapidly that large chunks of Dyerville real estate dropped with them, washing downstream.

Only the alertness of park crews prevented some of the buildings from floating down stream. These were torn down and the lumber salvaged. Today, only three dwellings and the no longer functioning store building remain.

State engineers have been courageously endeavoring to minimize the devastating effects of Paul's winter wading. Thus the "master" logger may be cheated out of his "revenge" and Dyerville may cease wobbling long enough to get a good start toward becoming an even greater center of conservation than it might have been a center of logging.

From October 29 to November 5, twelve inches of rain fell at Dyerville. Once during that period the river was nearly twelve feet above low water. Bank protection structures were sufficiently near to completeion to suffer no damage due to this early and prolonged rainfall.