Anchor Bay, California is located along scenic Highway 1 which is
sometimes called Shoreline Highway in this neck of the California
Coast. Located between the communities of Gualala and Point Arena,
it enjoys beautiful coastal views from a location perched atop
cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The unincorporated town
is comprised of scattered homes, forested regions, a shopping mall
and Fish Rock Cemetery located on the hill behind the shops. The
population is under 200 and the elevation is 145 feet. There are not
many chain hotel accommodations in this far away region of
California. The landscape is breath-taking but you'll need to drive
to either Mendocino, Boonville or Bodega Bay, each just over an hour
away and 40+ miles by car).
Anchor Bay shopping complex includes a general store with groceries,
produce such as fresh fruits and vegetables, organics, a deli,
sandwiches and picnic items and more. There are several restaurants
with one serving Breakfast, Lunch an Dinner, a Real Estate office,
Soul Dance, a shop with acupuncture, herbs and nutrition, a flooring
store and more.
Once
inhabited by Central Pomo Indians, the area was also a popular place
for Russians and native Alaskans hunters in the early 1800's and
Mexican land owners in the 1840's.
Schooner Gulch State Beach provides hiking trails, fishing,
windsurfing, picnic areas and a vista point. The beach is fantastic
for watching sunsets or the seasonal migration of whales. It
includes a small parking area with two trailheads on the west side
of the highway. The southern trail leads to Schooner Gulch Beach and
the northern trail provides access to Bowling Ball Beach.
Schooner Gulch was reportedly named for a sighting of a schooner
caught in the gulch area. The schooner disappeared by morning, so
the story went, thus perpetuating a mystery around the region and
name. Milling operations for timber and logging occurred
between the mid and late 1800's.
A
point of interest was Galloway School, which operated for 62 years
from 1874 to 1936 with never more than 40 students. In 1940 the
school lot was sold, and land around the it was farmed by the Nobles
family until 1986 at which time the land was sold to the State of
California. The school land was originally donated by John and
Margaret Galloway, early settlers to the region.
Legend has it that Schooner Gulch got its name from a story in which
a schooner was sited, one evening, stranded on the beach in the
mouth of the gulch, yet in the morning showed no evidence of being
there.
Source: California State Parks
History:
Mendocino County was one of California’s original 27 counties,
created in 1850 by the State Legislature.
Because of its small population, Mendocino County was
administered by the government of Sonoma County until 1859, when the
government was established in a small building on Main Street in
Ukiah. County officials
moved into the first courthouse at the site bounded by Standley,
Perkins, State and Schools streets on January 24, 1860.
Mendocino
County encompasses an area of over 2 million acres or approximately
3500 square miles.
Source: www.co.mendocino.ca.us
