Eel River Valley Chapter, NSDAR

Fortuna, California

Welcome

The Eel River Valley Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR or DAR), was officially organized and confirmed on October 12, 1991. This chapter was one of the three California chapters confirmed on the last day of the NSDAR Centennial year. The beautiful river valley and its history prompted the name “Eel River Valley Chapter, NSDAR.” The Eel River and its tributaries form the third largest watershed entirely in California.

Prehistorically and historically, salmon and other fish were plentiful in the Eel River and were used for sustenance by the Wiott, Nongatl, and other early settlers. Salmon were so numerous that they occasionally stopped the fording of the river by horses.

After the arrival of white settlers in 1850, Rohnerville and Hydesville became stops on the county’s first wagon road, which linked Humboldt Bay to the interior of the region. As the century moved on, dozens of dairy ranches spread across the fertile valley of the lower Eel to Fields Landing in the 1880s, and the Pacific Lumber Company built a mill at Scotia. The river was used for rafting logs from Shively to Scotia and Fortuna. Today, the river provides not only inspiration for our chapter’s name, but groundwater recharge, recreation, and water supply for industrial, agricultural, and municipal purposes.

Today’s DAR

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About Us

Most of our members live in Fortuna, Rio Dell, Carlotta, Hydesville, and Ferndale, which are all located in Humboldt County, California. Some members live throughout California in places like Fort Bragg, Montague, Santa Rosa, Angwin, Santa Monica, Elk Grove, Canyon Country, Palm Desert, Los Osos, Carlsbad, and Bakersfield — and a few members live as far away as Sequim, Washington, and Kapaa, Hawaii.

2026 - 2028 Chapter Board

Please contact us for information on joining our chapter!