Prairie Creek Fish Hatchery
Why it's listed
Prairie Creek Fish Hatchery is a cluster of modest wood-frame buildings and concrete water tanks beside Lost Man Creek, just off U.S. Highway 101 north of Orick in Humboldt County. Built in 1936 from California Division of Architecture designs, it originally included a main hatchery building, four houses, a garage-shop, a shed, a 3,000-foot pipeline and a reservoir. Today the district covers a 6.2-acre parcel containing the hatchery, two houses, the garage-shop, the shed, outdoor tanks and a pipeline stream crossing. The dam and reservoir were removed in 1988 and 1989. The site is recognized for its role in California's fish conservation and stocking programs, which served both species restoration and sport fishing. Its period of significance runs from 1936 to 1946. Later, after Redwood National Park surrounded it, the hatchery drew visitors and school groups until it closed in 1992. The remaining structures still show how the operation worked.
Significance in brief: The nomination finds the hatchery significant at the state level under Criterion A in the areas of conservation and recreation. It reflects California's fish hatchery policy, which aimed at restoring fish populations and stocking streams for sport fishing, during its state-run years of 1936 to 1946. The surviving buildings, tanks and pipeline crossing still convey the facility's function despite the loss of the dam, reservoir and most of the pipeline.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 00000034, listed February 4, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Milepost 124.83 on US 101, N of Orick, Orick |
|---|---|
| County | Humboldt County |
| Listed | February 4, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000034 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1936 to 1946 |
| Architect / builder | California Division of Architecture |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and early 20th century movement: Vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Conservation, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as not in use; the hatchery closed on 31 October 1992 and the surviving buildings had windows and doors boarded with plywood at the 1996 survey. |
| Acreage | 6.2 |
| Coordinates | 41.33282, -124.03046 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 00000034.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7237842
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.