Humboldt County names Mattole River bridge for local pioneers

Humboldt County gave the new Mattole River bridge at Honeydew a public name Tuesday, voting unanimously to dedicate Bridge No. 04C0263 in memory of George Hindley and Vernon Edward Shinn. The decision turns a routine infrastructure replacement into a county statement about which parts of Mattole Valley history will be carried forward in public view.

The naming honors two men tied closely to the area’s ranching era. Hindley was a former Humboldt County supervisor and longtime Mattole Valley rancher. Shinn was described in the county’s naming proposal as a rancher and community leader, with a petition from his family submitted in support of the dedication. By attaching their names to the span, supervisors chose to memorialize the people who helped shape the county’s rural political and agricultural identity.

The bridge itself is already at the center of a much larger project on Mattole Road in Honeydew. County planning materials describe the existing crossing as a single-lane steel truss bridge built in 1920. It is being replaced with a new two-lane structure designed to meet modern highway, geometric and seismic standards, while improving safety for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

The project has been moving through county and federal processes for years. Environmental review and permitting were listed as complete on January 20, 2022, and construction began May 12, 2025. During work, traffic is being routed over a detour road built on a low-water crossing on the Mattole River about one-half mile downstream from the bridge.

For Humboldt County leaders, the naming is more than a ceremonial flourish. It publicly elevates the story of early settlers and ranching families, placing that legacy on a bridge that will serve daily transportation needs in the Mattole Valley. At the same time, the choice reflects how local government continues to decide whose history gets fixed into the county landscape as old infrastructure gives way to new.