Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts published by “Malcolm Macdonald”

Eminent Domain: Not Just for Playground Trains

The owners of the Skunk train using eminent domain powers may have opened eyes around the Mendocino Coast in ways heretofore unimagined. Let's review the power that allowed the Skunk, aka Mendocino Railway, to acquire…

The Cain Murder & Mr. Holmes

Last time we briefly touched on the wanton murders of Native Americans in the early days of Mendocino County, with no punishment rendered. In a tidbit of historical irony, from the time Mendocino became a…

The Murder of Cain

In 1859 Mendocino split off from Sonoma, forming a county of its own. In the first year of its existence marauding militias, like the one led by Walter Jarboe, murdered hundreds of Native Americans in…

When Fort Bragg Had a Real Railroad

One hundred years ago you could get on the California Western Railroad in Fort Bragg at 8:15 in the morning and ride the train to Eureka and arrive at 7:30 p.m. Two different trains provided…

NaphCare in the Spotlight

At the October 26 Mendocino County Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, the consent calendar contained an item to approve an extension of a contract with NaphCare in the amount of $3,484,847.76. How does almost three…

Drug Murder, 1944

Drug related murders come and go with frequency in Mendocino County. However, never was the term so true as in February, 1944.  The scene: Noon hour of a winter's day at the old Philbrick property…

The Skunk vs. its Neighbors and the City of Fort Bragg

On Thursday, October 28th the City of Fort Bragg filed a lawsuit against Mendocino Railway and ten John Does. Mendocino Railway is the company name for what most folks call the Skunk Train. Attorneys for…

Hiking the Mendocino Coast

Let's talk pedology. A dirty topic indeed. The word derives from the Greek pedon, meaning soil, and logos, meaning study. Pedology is the study of soil. What did  your first glance mislead you to think?…

-