Born in Denmark on February 3, 1836, Thomas H. Petersen arrived in San Francisco when he was 21. He came penniless to what he called the “promise land,” but excited for the future, so excited that he left the ship that brought him to California before he received his final paycheck for working as the ship’s carpenter.
Tom, as he was called, began working on the Constitution, delivering mail to the Puget Sound. In 1865, he married Sophia Von in San Francisco, and the couple would have five children over the following ten years. The same year they married, Tom received his first contract to build a schooner, a type of sailing boat with multiple masts, known for its speed and use as working vessels.
Within three years, Tom built at least three ships in San Francisco, several of which made their way to the Mendocino Coast to carry lumber. Schooners were the preferred ship for lumber companies along the north coast, for their ability to easily navigate the rocky coastline and small coves used as “ports.” The first ship Tom built, the Columbia, wrecked during a storm near Cuffey’s Cove, today close to Elk.
The Mendocino Coast eventually drew Tom away from the city. He built a small shipyard in the bay at Russian Gulch. The area had an abundance of Douglas fir trees, which they referred to as “Mendocino pine,” a softer wood than what was normally used for ships. Tom argued it was durable, strong for its weight, and could be easily worked with the saws they used. His crew perfected its use over the years.
The Sue Merrill was the first ship completed by Tom in Russian Gulch, a 148-ton schooner built for $18,000. The schooner sailed five miles up the coast to Noyo Harbor for lumber. The sailing crew underestimated the strong current and rocks along the shore, however, and the ship was torn apart along the south point of Noyo Harbor before ever picking up its cargo.
Little River was Tom’s favorite area on the coast to build ships. He first opened a shipyard there in the late 1860s. The facility was built along the north shore of the bay, where the beach provided space for construction and an ideal slope for launching completed ships. He completed 14 schooners in Little River over 11 years.
Averee McNear is the curator at the Kelley House Museum in Mendocino, Calif.