Fernbridge, California

Village of Fernbridge

The unincorporated area named Fernbridge lies between the Eel River and Highway 101 bisected by unused Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks. The Humboldt Creamery, a roadhouse, the old railway depot, several warehouses, a fuel station and a few houses and other businesses are built along Fernbridge Drive (Old U.S. 101), which now serves as an access road between exits 691 and 692.[[File:Fernbridge 2017-02-08 Flood USGS.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Historic [[Fernbridge (bridge)]] during the 2017 Flood. Looking toward Ferndale from the unincorporated area of Fernbridge.]][[File:Fernbridge combination depot, July 2022.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Fernbridge Train Depot in 2022]]Fernbridge is a stop on the Humboldt Transit Authority fixed route transit bus systems, served by the Redwood Transit System connecting north and south Humboldt along 101. Fernbridge ZIP Code is 95540 and the community is inside telephone area code 707.

The United States Geological Survey maintains a webcam overlooking Fernbridge,{{cite web | access-date = 2 June 2011}} and a river gage of water level at the bridge.

Early history

The area was first named Singley Station in 1885 after George Singley who ran a ferry across the Eel River from 1876 to 1889. As soon as a train station was built, a stage ran on a regular schedule to connect to the train. By 1891, the ferry was pulled by a steam winch and a seasonal pontoon bridge was added in the summer.{{cite book

The town name was changed to Fernbridge from Singley Station about two years after the Fernbridge was built across the Eel in 1910–1911. The first post office at Fernbridge opened in 1924.

In 1934, when California numbered and marked California State Route 1, the route began in Las Cruces, California and ended at Fernbridge, although by 1984, admitting the route was not feasible south of Ferndale, this section of Route 1 was renumbered to State Highway 211.

References

References

1. {{gnis. 1656011
2. named for a historic bridge, {{convert. 3. mi. km west-northwest of [[Fortuna, California. 59
3. Pence, Steven. (March 21, 2024). "Caltrans to Install Seismic Gates on Fernbridge". North Coast Journal Incorporated.
4. USGS & DWR. "Current Sensor Data for Fernbridge (Eel River – CDEC Station FER)". California Data Exchange Center (CDEC).
5. (March 23, 2023). "THEN AND NOW". The Ferndale Enterprise.
6. Dennis, T. H.. (August 1934). "State Routes Will Be Numbered and Marked with Distinctive Bear Signs". [[California Highways and Public Works]].
7. {{cite CAstat. (1984)