In you drive about 10 miles to the ocean from the Navarro town - where Hwy 1 and Hwy 128 meet you will find the sight of the former Navarro-by-the-sea town. Not much remained nowadays, but you can see the hotel building even from the Hwy1 hill.
The town began in the latter half of the 19th century and was abandoned due to floods. Navarro-by-the-sea was once a shipping port utilized by the near-by logging industry.
According to the local historical society, the Navarro-by-the-Sea Center, it was first settled in around 1851 by Charles Fletcher. He was a sailor, a ship’s carpenter, and a whale boat captain, who originally came to San Francisco in 1849 during the gold rush. In partnership with James Kennedy and Capt. Thomas Kennedy of San Francisco, Capt. Fletcher built the inn during the 1860’s for sailors who had to wait three days while their schooners were loaded with lumber from the Navarro Mill.(1)
Navarro Mill and town, 1880’s (1)
Navarro-by-the-Sea Hotel, ca. 1938(1)