SearchFortuna's History: the Road To The Friendly City
Long before Fortuna was known as the "friendly city," the unincorporated town was called Slide and later named Springville. In 1874, Fortuna was named Slide because of the huge slides northwest of the Rohnerville area. The town's name was changed to Springville in 1875 due to the construction of the Springville Mill and the fact the town was home to numerous natural springs. Springville was a company-owned town and the few people that resided there all worked for the mill.
By late 1870's. Springville had grown large enough to house a post office. Residents wanted the post office to be named Springville, but there was already a town named Springville in California. On May 24, 1876. the official post office name became Slide. This meant that even though the people lived in Springville. the mail was addressed to the town of Slide.
Then in 1884, the Springville residents sent a petition to the state legislature that asked that the town's name be changed once more to Fortuna. By July 3, 1888, the town and post office were officially named Fortuna. The town quickly grew into its name "fortune" due to its excellent location between the redwood forests, the mighty Pacific Ocean and the lush Eel River Valley.
After Fortuna was incorporated on February 20, 1906, the town established itself as a growing community with a city council, a night watchman and a fire and water committee. The town became known for its agricultural excellence in its vegetable crops, berries and fresh fruits and fish from the Eel River, although it was lumbering that put Fortuna on the map.
In 1891, a railroad depot was built and by late 1914 Fortuna was a regular stop between Eureka and San Francisco. The railroad gave Fortuna a direct link to the rest of the world as it allowed travelers easy access to the area. Trains also became the fastest way for mail to be transported between towns. The railroad revolutionized not only the lumber industry, but also the town itself.
The railroad put Fortuna in a perfect situation by having the rail line into town as well as having local roads to Ferndale and other towns to the north and south. By having connections in every direction, Fortuna began to grow and the other smaller towns in the area began to lose their prestige. People even began to take the train to Fortuna instead of taking ocean steamers to Eureka.
The old railroad depot is now a free museum In Rohner Park that chronicles Fortune's railroad history and its contributions to the town.