The German Hospital
Caring for people has a long history in the building that became Redwood Creek. It began as the home of Barney Schow who converted the house into a private hospital in 1914 and leased it to Dr. Franklin. It was first called the German Hospital and later the Franklin Hospital.
Left: German Hospital circa 1920. Photo by H.H. Wonacott, Parkins Collection, Mendocino County Museum.
The Carson Inn
In 1925 the house was sold to Helen Carson and her mother Mabel who used it as a restaurant and inn. Relocating from San Jose, they wanted to run a gift shop in the redwoods much further north than Willits. But in 1925 the two-lane Highway 101, though newly paved, was still a torturous route, especially when slow logging trucks trudged up summits like the Ridgewood Grade. By the time the Carsons reached Willits, a full day’s drive from San Francisco back then, they decided to go no further. (1.)
The Carson Inn became a favorite of Willits residents, both for lodging visitors in one of the five rooms and for locals seeking a special meal out. “I always provided a roast of some kind and lots of fresh vegetables that I bought from a farmer who came in from Potter Valley in his horse and buggy,” Helen reported. The blackberries in her backyard filled her pies and cobblers.
Right: Portrait of Jerry Harris and Mabel Carson at the back of Carson Inn in 1926. Photographer unknow, gift of Henry Thomas Bell, Mendocino County Museum.
( 1. ) Nov. 19, 1999, The Willits News, reported in Touring the Old Redwood Highway, Mendocino County, p.76-77, by Diane Hawk (Hawk Mountaintop Publishing, Piercy, CA, 2001).
The Carsons sold the inn in 1940 to Clint and Helen Bell. Margie Handley recalled their “elegant dining room, a wonderful place to have dinner. The Bells were very formal and dressed impeccably.” Lee Persico also remembered eating there because Mrs. Bell was also his elementary school teacher.
In the early ’60s, the Bells sold the inn, and it morphed into Redwood Manor and now Redwood Creek, a board and care home. Yet another transformation sponsored by the Willits City Planning revitalization efforts in 2000 led to its renewed look.
Right: Helen Carson Williams at former Carson Inn in December 1999. Photographer unknown, gift of Henry Thomas Bell, Mendocino County Museum.
Created in collaboration with Kim Bancroft and Judi Berdis and based the 2016 Mendocino County Museum exhibit "Main Street Willits: Then and Now. "Text prepared by Kim Bancroft and select photos prepared by Judi Berdis. We are grateful for their ongoing efforts to preserve our local history.
Special thanks to Kiersten Hanna for project support and assistance.