“Sharing Traditions,” by David Schulz – click here to see a scanned copy of original article published June, 1995 in Access – Regional Holistic Resource, vol. 3, no. 6.

Eric and Viviana Hollenbeck hold on to a way of life that has all but disappeared.

“We started out with $300 dollars and a dream,” said Eric. That was almost 25 years ago.

These proprietors and curators of the Blue Ox Millworks Historical Park in Eureka believe that sharing is the key to preserving lost arts.

The Kamisu International Friendship Association refers to Eric as an “American grandmaster of woodcraft.” From a Victorian Gazebo in Japan to a redwood meeting table in the White House, Eric's work is known around the world. And while wood is a great part of what the Blue Ox is all about, there is much more to see and learn while visiting the park.

A carving of Paul Bunyan, fully 10 feet high, stands watch over the entrance to the parking lot. If it's quiet, you will hear the sounds of pigeons cooing in rafters, 30 feet high. They fly in wide circles out over the water and back to the roof. Roosters strut around outside between the legs of Jackson, the Mammoth Jack Donkey. The dogs are generally sleeping on the front porch or in front of the wood stove just inside.

As many as 4,000 people a year have visited the Blue Ox, not counting the neighborhood kids.

“I let them help out around here,” Eric said. “I want them to know that their dreams can come true if they're willing to get involved and work hard. It's good for them.”

Workers at the mill learn the crafts that were so important to everyday life nearly a century ago. It's a hands-on experience from the raw material stage to the finished product.

At the Blue Ox you can see how they make wood stains out interesting combinations like black walnut and Spanish moss steeped an ammonia or urine, or blackberry straw boiled and steeped in vinegar and alum, or cherry bark boiled in vinegar.

Pottery, made out of clay taken from Eureka's bay, is fired in the on-site kiln. It is glazed, when leather hard, with a mixture of 13 parts wood ashes (lye leached out), 3 parts sea shells, and 1 part serpentine.

Eric might show you an example of the famous black pottery of Oaxaca to illustrate the importance of sharing craft traditions. If the person who developed the technique for producing the black pottery of Oaxaca had not shared his discovery with others, it would not be around today for so many to enjoy.

I was impressed with their idea of sharing when Eric and I started talking about making lye water. My grandparents use lye water to take the skin off of peaches before canning them. It works perfectly, and is totally safe as long as you rinse and rinse and rinse until the water is no longer hot.

To make lye water, ashes are placed in a straw lined V-shaped trough, with holes in the bottom, then water is poured over the top. The water that leaches through is the final product. But Eric told me something else: “You got to keep pouring it through until is floats a potato. That's when you know it's the right strength.” Pretty neat. Back to the park.

Just before leaving the first building where most of the antique equipment is, you might see Eric trying to rediscover the secret to making a peanut butter molding. Samples of the original work remain, but exactly how it was made is still a mystery. Its beautiful bass relief designs and pliable nature make it something to be desired in any home. Eric is close to duplicating the process using a combination of linseed, chalk, tree sap, glue, and heat until it is the consistency of peanut butter. The finished product is not exactly what Eric wants, but he keeps trying.

Outside is the saw mill where Eric and his crew mill recycled timbers, chunks purchased from the Pacific Lumber Company, Simpson, and the Big Lagoon Mill. They mill wood from torn down buildings and shade trees like maple or holly. Redwood rain gutters are made to order from cuts that, in the old days, were useless because they were too big to take out of the forest.

Further along the tour, you will see blacksmithing tools, a collection of 6,000 knives, a shingle mill, and a reconstruction of a logging skid camp. The skid camp has a cook shack, bunk house, theater, and a general store. Each building is constructed on what is called a “donkey sled” for easy moving.

Blue Ox Millworks Historical Park is a fun place to go if you're in the Eureka area. The Hollenbecks plan to develop an interactive tour where tourists will one day participate in life as it was around the turn of the century. The additions to the park will include an animal powered Victorian farm, turn of the century lumbering facilities, a Main Street full of interactive craft shops in relocated Victorian homes, and a Native American village where school children can spend a night and a day.

If you have seen the wooden streetcar in Eureka, you might want to go meet the man who made it. Bring any old time lore you feel was useful in the past or might be useful in times to come. And be prepared to share in a wonderful experience.

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Blue Ox Millworks Historical Park is located at 1^st and “X” Street in Eureka, CA. For more information, the Hollenbeck's can be reached at (707) 444-3437.