Blue Ox Millworks

Jill's Journal: Hidden in a corner of Eureka on the bay is the Blue Ox Millworks, a craftsman’s paradise and a school of the traditional arts. The girls and I almost skipped this today and I’m so glad we didn’t.

Eureka has the highest number of Victorian buildings per capita in the whole country and, naturally, they need repairing and refurbishing now and then to keep them in the splendor they’re accustomed. Blue Ox specializes in recreating custom molding, balusters, columns, doors, gables, gingerbread, and more. If you can imagine it, they can do it. Two sitting presidents have used Blue Ox while in office, as have two governor’s mansions, multiple historic cathedrals, national parks, foreign countries, and hundreds of private homes. The work they turn out is simply stunning.

But here’s the best part: they only use antique craftsman techniques and antique equipment. The newest machine in their shop dates to 1944. The oldest is pre-Abraham Lincoln era. Our guide showed us how several of the antique tools worked --of course all powered by hand and/or foot-- and they included names I won’t remember tomorrow like “treadle scroll saw,” “tenoner,” and goodness knows what else. My Uncle Kim would go nuts over this place. The girls were fascinated. Blue Ox even makes their own varnishes, glues, stains, paints, etc. using only natural items available a century or more ago. The “recipes” for these products are up to 500 years old.

They give back to their community as well. The founders of Blue Ox host disadvantaged youths from a community school nearby and teach them the almost-lost Victorian woodworking trade. The kids also learn blacksmith skills, pottery skills, and many other nearly lost arts. This photo is of an antique printing press, where the letters for each page have to be set individually. The youths do their school’s yearbook with it annually. The girls got to see it in action as well and thought it was “really cool.”

The best way to describe our visit to Blue Ox was like stepping into a time machine. Clearly, a time machine in more ways than one, judging from this bus.

Blue Ox also had lots of animals milling about, which always garners points with our kids. This cat was their personal favorite. And, you wouldn’t know it from the bare arms, but our high in Eureka this entire week was today’s 59 degrees for a few fleeting moments before the temperature dipped again. The girls are so sick of wearing sweatshirts and were determined to go without them today. I’m sick of it too – it’s almost June and we still randomly need our winter jackets!