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History · Scotia

Scotia’s post office opened in 1888, and 75% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 6 old photos and papers and maps from 1900 on.

1888first post office
0on the National Register
75%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Scotia’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Scotia began

When was Scotia founded?

1888

The Scotia post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 681138 years
Founding year: the first Scotia post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Scotia’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Old housesHalf of Scotia’s homes were built before 1938.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1900 to 1911, drew every building in Scotia.On the map since 19193 editions of the USGS map, 1919 to 1970. Watch Scotia change.
★ What stands out · The story

How Scotia came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Scotia.

Read it all →

Scotia was founded in 1863 as Forestville by the Pacific Lumber Company to house workers for its lumber industry operations in the area. The town was formed following the winter flood of 1861–1862; that flood level was not observed again until 1955. The Eel River crested at a gauge height of 72 feet (10.1 feet higher than 1955) on December 23, 1964. Eighteen-million board feet of redwood logs and 23-million board feet of lumber were washed out of the Scotia sawmill and scattered along the lower river and Pacific coast to the mouth of the Columbia River.

ChaptersPALCO bankruptcy

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Every building

Scotia, building by building, 1900–1911

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Scotia fire insurance map, 1900, sheet 11900Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the map

Scotia on the map, 1919 to 1970

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Scotia. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Scotia on the 1919 USGS mapScotia on the 1950 USGS mapScotia on the 1970 USGS map1919Glynn sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Scotia.

Timeline

Scotia, 1888 to 1958

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888Post officeThe Scotia post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1912In the archiveScotia, California, 1912, the home of the Pacific Lumber Co
  5. 1919On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1920In the archiveFrank Patterson 3S10 - Scotia, Cal
  7. 1930In the archivePacific Lumber Company Mill, Scotia, Humboldt County, California back
  8. 1948Born hereSteven W. Mosher is born here
  9. 1950Born hereMike Bettiga is born here
  10. 1955Born hereRandy Niemann is born here
  11. 1958Born hereTommie Ginn is born here
By decade

Scotia, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s–1930s6 items
Scotia, California, 1912, the home of the Pacific Lumber Co1912Scotia, California, 1912, the home of the Pacific Lum…Scotia, California, 1912, the home of the Pacific Lumber Co1912Scotia, California, 1912, the home of the Pacific Lum…View from the county road of Scotia, Cal1912View from the county road of Scotia, CalFrank Patterson 3S10 - Scotia, Cal1920sFrank Patterson 3S10 - Scotia, CalPostcardPacific Lumber Company Mill, Scotia, Humboldt County, California back1930sPacific Lumber Company Mill, Scotia, Humboldt County,…PostcardPacific Lumber Company Mill, Scotia, Humboldt County, California front1930sPacific Lumber Company Mill, Scotia, Humboldt County,…Postcard
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Scotia, California, 1912, the home of the Pacific Lumber Co
Retake this viewScotia, California, 1912, the home of the Pacific Lumber Co, 1912

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Scotia’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

4 famous people were born in Scotia

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
S
Steven W. MosherAmerican social scientist · b. 1948
Randy NiemannAmerican baseball player and coach · b. 1955
T
Tommie GinnAmerican football player · b. 1958
M
Mike BettigaAmerican football wide receiver · b. 1950
Help out

Finish Scotia’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewScotia, California, 1912, the home of t…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Rio DellIts storyC−

Questions about Scotia’s history

What year was Scotia founded?

The Scotia post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.