The geodesic dome greenhouse was created in 1983. Today Humboldt has the largest, most diverse greenhouse in the state university system with 1,000 species and 180 plant families growing.
Funds of $245,000 produced a grand new building for the Humboldt State Teachers College as the name Normal School passed from use.
The Fred Telonicher Marine Lab was created in 1966 to provide oceanfront classrooms for instruction.
Humboldt's Calypso Band was created in 1986 to showcase the traditional and contemporary music of the Caribbean, Africa, Brazil and the United States.
Center Activities provides classes in outdoor, aquatic, and leisure activities for students.
In this photo, taken in 1955 or 1956, members of HSU's Wildlife Society chapter work on a stream restoration project. The group, known as Conservation Unlimited, is still active on campus.
Students pose for a photo by the old Humboldt State College sign. The sign, made from a single redwood round, was likely donated by a local timber company. The students were participating in a campus Work Day, which included students and faculty cleaning windows, removing clutter, weeding, repairing roads, cleaning classrooms and more. At the end of the day, students enjoyed a free bean feed and a faculty show of spoofs and skits.
Humboldt State and Chico State have been rivals going way back. This is the axe that went to the winner of the yearly football game.
Students studying in a dorm room in 1953.
Environmental Science was a part of HSU early on. Some of these antique microscopes can be found on the second floor of the library today, in the Robert Paselk Scientific Instrument Museum.
Senior life sciences major Leigh Manley studies a harbor seal pup at Abalone Beach near Patrick's Point, north of Trinidad.
William Lanphere and his wife taught the first wildlife management courses at HSU in the 1940's. William pictured here on horseback on what would become Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Pre-professional nursing classes had been offered since 1935 and in 1958 a nursing program bagan to create registered nurses.
Elta Cartwright set records as a runner for Humboldt's women's track team and in 1928 she was on America's first women's Olympic team, competing in Amsterdam.
Scuba diving is offered to HSU students. Photographed here in 1995.
Founders Hall is seen from the library in this 1973 photo.
A new kinesiology and athletics building opened in 2008 which includes the Human Performance and Biometrics lab.
Humboldt State added an observatory to its facilities in 1971 with the donation of a 60-acre site from three alumni as part of the Astronomers of Humboldt County Club. Located on Fickle Hill road, the observatory originally housed a 12.5-inch reflecting telescope. Today students access two 14-inch telescopes and six 8-inch telescopes with computer control and astrophotography capacity.
A thoroughly modern look was chosen for Humboldt State’s 50th anniversary in 1963.
The Marching Lumberjacks take the field during halftime in Redwood Bowl. The field, muddy in this shot, was replaced by artificial turf just before the 2011 football season. Prior to the construction of Redwood Bowl, Humboldt State played most of its home games in Eureka High School’s Albee Stadium. That changed when former director of Athletics and head football coach Joseph Forbes arrived in 1946.
Staff members prepare for the 1984 Humboldt Orientation Program. By 1955, campus leaders deemed it necessary to hold a Frosh Camp to orient freshmen before fall classes. Now known as the Humboldt Orientation Program, it covers everything from major planning and registration, to health and safety and more.
In 1919, vocational training was a part of a normal school education. Included in this were agriculture, horticulture, domestic science, manual training and music.
Students look at pieces displayed during HSU's annual Juried Student Exhibition in 1985. The show, which has been recast as the Art Graduates exhibition, takes place every April and May. The new exhibition gives all senior students the opportunity to present their work.
Dormitories at Humboldt went coed in 1969.
Humboldt State music students perform for area school children in this undated photo. Field trips to the Arcata campus for concerts and theatre performances have been a tradition for local children for decades.
The Sea Gull was the first in a long line of ocean research vessels owned by HSU. The current vessel, the Coral Sea has been in service since 1998.
This photo, probably from the early 1960s, shows students engaged in the KHSC Television workshop. Broadcasting began on campus in partnership with KIEM radio, then located in the Vance Hotel in Eureka's Old Town.
Members of HSU's Percussion Ensemble perform Brazilian samba music on the quad in this 2010 photo.
An aerobics step class put on by the physical education departement in 1994.
Lucky rides in a convertible in the 1962 Homecoming parade.
In the 1960s the speakers stump was a common fixture on campus where students voiced their opinions to the student body.
A muddy football player in 1977. The Redwood Bowl field is now artificial turf so muddy messes like this no longer occur.
The Lumberjack is the school's student run newspaper.
During World War II, travel was restricted and gasoline was rationed, putting a serious damper on intercollegiate competition. In a 1944 women’s archery tournament, the results were tallied and mailed to officials. Humboldt placed fourth in a field of 24 colleges, all competing by mail. The Archery club is still active, holding twice-weekly practices in the Field House.
Forestry students out on a field trip talking to local timber faller.
3000 students and faculty voted for a one week "Strike for Peace" to protest the invasion of Cambodia in 1970.
Students pedal to provide power to speakers to play music on the quad in this human energy conversion project.
In this 2011 photo students in professor Tim Mulligan's Ecology of Marine Life (Fish 435) seine fish in Trinidad Bay. Science instructor Hortense Lanphere lead the charge to create a fisheries program at Humboldt State in the early '40s, which began in the typical Humboldt manner: with salvaged lumber, donated materials and a promise to cost the school nothing. The program was an immediate hit and spurred the creation of wildlife…
In this page from the 1927 issue of the Cabrillo yearbook, the first homecoming celebration is described. The inagural event, honoring the class of 1917, included a bonfire, evening “Pajamarino” dance and a “Bean Feed” sponsored by the campus “Y”. According the California Aggie, the Pajamarino tradition is based on U.C. Davis’s first homecoming event, when students snuck out of the residence halls in pajamas to greet…
In this aerial view of Arcata, the Humboldt State campus is seen prior to several major changes that came in the years following 1957, when this photo was taken. Note the tennis courts occupying what is now the University Center Quad and Siemens Hall. In the upper portion of the photo, the Michael J. Burns Freeway portion of U.S. 101, which was finished in 1955, can be seen. Prior to the construction of the freeway, Arcata's G…
In this undated photo a student cuts out cookies as part of a Home Economics course. Bachelor's degrees in Home Economics were offered at Humboldt State as early as the 1920s. Considered an applied science, home ec. was offered on campus until 1990.
KHSU was the first college state radio station in California. Created in 1960.
The World-Famous Marching Lumberjacks circa 1968, submitted by Larry Puterbaugh. Larry is fifth from the left on the first row.
In 1954 members of the Conservation Unlimited Club took part in a stream clearance project on Grassy Creek.
In spring 1959, the graduating class could still fit in the Main Hall’s courtyard. In November that year, the building was dedicated as “Founders Hall.”
The bleachers were built by students with community support in 1947 as part of the yearly Work Day, where students cleaned and worked on the campus.
Homecoming Queen Linda Arvola on a lumberjack float during the parade in 1962.
In this undated photo, students practice with the ball during a rhythmic gymnastics course. In the 1950s, gymnastics performances were featured during basketball and football halftime shows.
Track & Field student athletes practice on HSU's track, made from recycled rubber. In 2008 campus completed the Kinesiology & Athletics Building, which along with the Redwood Plaza, has brought a new look and feel to Redwood Bowl.
This undated photo shows a College Lyceum trip from Humboldt State College to Santa Rosa. Humboldt’s Lyceum, named for the famed classroom of Aristotle, traveled throughout northern California to bring music and dramatic entertainment while also serving recruiting new students. The group was later known as the Collegians.
Students prepare specimens in this undated photo. Today the Timothy E. Lawlor Mammal Collection contains more than 15,000 specimens, including some rare and exotic specimens like a platypus, tarsier and more.
Lucky Logger, registration ticket in hand, takes part in registration day in this undated photo. In 1958, registration began its march toward automation with the introduction of an IBM punch card data processing system. Even with the punch cards, long lines snaked through the gym as students waited to register in person. Today, students register anywhere they can find an internet connection.
HSU Faculty used to have their own basketball team. Photo from 1984.
Some of the first solar panels appeared on the Marine Lab in Trinidad, supplying electricity to the lab.
This undated photo shows an early campus computer. Computerized registration and grades keeping arrived in spring 1958. Today, of course, computers are an essential part of the student experience and Humboldt State offers a major and minor in Computer Science.
Visitors get a closeup look at marine organisms in a display tank at Humboldt State's marine laboratory in Trinidad, Calif. The lab, which opened in 1966, was constructed originally as a Fisheries Laboratory and expanded in 1974. In 1979 it was dedicated as the Telonicher Marine Laboratory, after a longtime Humboldt State Professor, Fred Telonicher. In 2011 a major renovation further expanded the lab's visitor and research facilities.
The Indian Teacher and Educational Personnel Program began in 1969. Created to bolster Native American teachers in Northern California.
This undated photos shows an entrance to the COOP, the campus’s former supply store and soda fountain.
HSU softball has a long history of Championships including a national championship in 2008.
The flight cage at the game pens allows students first-hand observations of bird behavior.
Students relax during a summer picnic in 1955.
A student initiative, the Humboldt Energy Independence Fund pays for student-designed clean energy projects on campus.
The Humboldt Ski club dates back to 1939. The Lumberjack Clubhouse cabin was off Highway 299 on Horse Mountain.
The old fountain on the art quad is seen in this 1989 photo. The fountain was the subject of a 1999 masters thesis by alum Jensen Rufe ('99, Theatre, Film and Dance) titled "The Ugliest Fountain in the World (Without a Doubt)."
Humboldt State’s chapter of the International Knights service fraternity was founded on campus in 1949. Founded in the 1920s at the University of Washington, chapters soon spread throughout the West Coast. An excerpt from the Knight’s manual reads “To be a Knight it was necessary that one be primarily outstanding as a student and a gentleman; and his loyalty to his school and its undertakings beyond reproach. His college…
The dorms for the school where located where Nelson Hall now stands. Rent was $7.50 a month.
The Co-op was a combination book store and fountain where students could chat with friends and get a soda. Replaced by the Student Union in the 1960s.
The marching band of the 1950s wore plaid backwoods machinaws and hard hats. The hard hats still remain today.
1983 seniors demonstrate double-bucking at Lumberjack Days.
Chemistry classes were required for future high school and physical science teachers.
Physics professor Wes Bliven demonstrates the power of compressed gas with his rocket-powered vehicle. Engaging faculty in courses like Physics 106 are what sets Humboldt State apart from other schools.
Built in 1933, the College Elementary School, now Gist Hall, featured a slide on the building's south side. What's now a parking lot between the Student & Business Services Building was formerly playground blacktop.
The old printing presses that produced the Sempervirens yearbook, among other things, is seen in this 1958 photo. The yearbook was published through the end of the 1960s when campus attitudes changed. At this same time the final fraternities on campus dissolved and the campus began selling beer and wine.
The Jolly Giant Commons were under construction in the late '60s and opened in 1968. The work didn't end there: In 1997 the facility was remodeled and upgraded for earthquake safety. An espresso bar was also part of the retrofit.
Today the Internet, cable television and video games compete for our attention. In the 1950s listeners to North Coast radio tuned into KHSC for much of their entertainment and the station was highly regarded from its outset. Creative original programming, both dramatic and musical, was a highlight of the student work. The station delivered news, had broadcasting duties at HSC football games and posted real-time scores during the…
Metro bus service started in Arcata in 1962.
The first seismograph on campus in the south end of Founders Hall.
The Co-op was the campus outlet for school supplies and refreshments before the construction of University Center, where you can find the HSU Bookstore today. At the Co-op, students could buy everything from Humboldt State memorabilia to photo developing chemicals and a soda.
What is currently the campus events field originally functioned as a baseball diamond. Men’s baseball was played on campus through the early 1980s when budget constraints and new regulations from Title IX led to a reorganization of university athletics.
The first library at HSU was located in Founders Hall. The library did not receive it's own building until the 1950s.
The Friendship Macintosh Computer Lab. IBM punch cards were used for registration in 1958 and computerized registration made it's way to campus in 1968.
Students hit the books in a simple, yet functional, residence hall room. To the right, a student uses a slide rule on his coursework. Slide rules remained popular on campus through the 1970s, when the introduction of the pocket calculator spelled the demise of the nearly 400-year-old calculation tool.
The tennis team poses for this undated photo in the old tennis courts. Humboldt State fielded men’s and women’s tennis teams from the 1930s through the 1960s.
Softball was a popular sport on campus. Women's intramural sports also included volleyball, field hockey, basketball, track and field, archery, and golf.
The 1980 cross country team is seen with the National Championship title trophy. Coach Jim Hunt, back row, second from the right, coached the team from 1965 until his retirement in 2008.
In a small new school like Humboldt, every available male was shanghaied to provide enough members for a football team.
In this view from Founders Hall, the west side of campus is visible. The old library, erected in 1962, appears in the background. In front of Siemens Hall is a patch of grass where today a large heather planter sits.
1911 Eureka's chamber of commerce begins an effort to win public support for a normal school. Eureka, Arcata and Fortuna offer proposals for the location of the school.
1913
A donation of 51 acres from William Preston and the Union Water Company ensures Arcata will be the home of Humboldt State Normal School.
California Gov.Hiram Johnson establishes Humboldt State Normal School.
April 6, 1914
Instruction begins at 11th and M streets in Arcata. Pictured above is one of the first applications to the normal school.
May 26, 1915
Commencement day for HSU's first graduating class of 15 women. Susie Baker Fountain is first to receive her degree.
1921
Humboldt State Normal School becomes Humboldt State Teachers College and Junior College.
1922
Construction of Founders Hall begins atop Preston Hill.
1924
Humboldt's first president, Nelson Van Matre, retires and is succeeded by Ralph Swetman who serves from 1924 to 1930. Arthur Gist takes over in 1930 and serves until 1949.
1927
Humboldt plays its first intercollegiate football game against Southern Oregon Normal School, losing 33-0.
1935
Another name change gives Humboldt the moniker Humboldt State College.
1937
Humboldt State College establishes bachelor's of science degree in education. Liberal arts degree programs in economics and business administration, speech and home economics are soon to follow.
1938 Forestry Club organizes
1942 President Arthur S. Gist begins writing "Humboldt News Letter" for men and women in the armed services
1944Founders Hall (known then as the Main Building) is camouflaged with paint and ivy to avoid detection by the Japanese
1946Students build bleachers for Redwood Bowl
1950Jenkins Hall, completed
1951Marching band forms
1958Registration and grade recording now involves IBM punch cards
1959Lucky Logger is adopted as mascot
Parking fees established—$13 per semester
1960 Football games are held in Eureka High School's Albee Stadium, as crowds are too big for Redwood Bowl
1962Forestry Building and Library are completed
Ronald Reagan visits campus during his campaign for governor.
Marine laboratory opens in Trinidad. Lab is renamed the Telonicher Marine Lab in 1979.
1967
Students protest U.S. incursion into Cambodia.
1968
Inaugural Humboldt Film Festival is held. Currently, it’s the longest running student-lead festival of its kind.
Marching Lumberjacks return as campus scatter band after a 10-year absence.
Humboldt State College renamed California State University, Humboldt. This doesn’t last long. By 1974 the school is known as Humboldt State University.
Arsonists set fire to Forestry Building, which reopens in 1980.
Aviary completed for Wildlife Department.
1987
Wells Fargo donates it’s former building, which then becomes home to HSU Natural History Museum.
May 20, 2013
Professor Brian Post strives to compose music that reaches people. That means it must be interesting and accessible, but no so soothing that it’s simply background noise.
“If someone says my music was ‘nice,’ that’s the kiss of death,” jokes Post, who specializes in composition, music theory and music technology at HSU. “You don’t want someone’s mind to wander…
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May 20, 2013
He traveled around the world and is considered the founder of modern geography. Charles Darwin once called him the “greatest scientific traveler who ever lived.”
Among his other claims to fame: being this university’s namesake. This fall, HSU students and faculty will pay homage to Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt with a play commemorating his life and work.
The…
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Memories shared, from alumni and friends of Humboldt State. If you want to add your own photo memories to the collection, submit them here.
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Nearly all the historical facts and photos on this website are available due to the efforts of Joan Berman and others in HSU’s Humboldt Room; former HSU History Professor William Tanner who authored the comprehensive campus history View from the Hill (available in the University Library); and HSU alumna Katy Tahja who authored the recent photo history titled Humboldt State University (available from the Humboldt Alumni Office).
A slew of Centennial activities and events are in the works. Here are just a few:
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